Tigers Starting Outfielder Making Quick Progress in Shoulder Injury Recovery
The Detroit Tigers have had quite a difficult time managing their outfield injuries this spring, with both Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows working on recovering from ailments. This injury bug also hit Wenceel Pérez at one point as well, but he was able to overcome it and be ready for Opening Day as things stand.
With expectations being that both Meadows and Vierling will start out the year on the Injured List, the current outfield group would be Pérez, Riley Greene, and Kerry Carpenter. The good news is the latter of the two is beginning to make progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury earlier this spring.
Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press posted an update from the team, which stated that Vierling, "initiated a hitting progression earlier this week & has been cleared to advance his shoulder strengthening exercises. He is also completing conditioning, defensive drills, & rehab daily."
This medical update would also provide a smaller outlook on Meadows, but a positive one nonetheless, stating he is, "completing conditioning, defensive drills, & rehab daily."
Both of these updates being positive ones is an extremely good sign, as it means both of these players could end up back on the field sooner rather than later, and the team will not be without their starting outfielders for longer than was initially expected.
Having options in the outfield rather than depleting the unit could be the difference between competitive games and having difficulty keeping up, especially given the team is already short at the position somewhat.
Vierling has been a crucial part of this Tigers team for a few seasons now and will continue to be heading into 2025.
Last season in 144 games and 518 at-bats, he had .257/.312/.423 slash lines, with 80 runs, 57 RBI, 16 home runs, and 121 strikeouts to 41 walks. Additionally, his fielding in the outfield was strong, with 739 innings of work, 202 putouts, three assists, one turned double play, and two errors, good for a .990 fielding rate.
He did only have the opportunity to play one game this spring, which has set back his season, as two at-bats is not enough to prepare for an upcoming 162-game schedule. This is why the injured list is next, as it will give Vierling a chance to really get into the groove of things, feel near full health, and swing the bat a bit before taking on the MLB level.
