A roundup of the long list of injuries for the Detroit Tigers

An update on where all the injured players players for the Detroit Tigers are in their rehab process.

It’s no secret that the Detroit Tigers have a swath of injuries. With the latest injury to Robbie Grossman, they can now field an entire outfield with their injured list in addition to already being able to field an entire starting rotation.

With all the injuries the team has endured, it can be hard to keep up, especially since many of them are at different points in their rehab process. We’ve taken the liberty of gathering up all the information we have available on the injured players in an effort to give updates on where they stand.

Some of these players are closer to returning than others. Some are already on minor league rehab assignments, others are nowhere close to that step in their recovery. But enough dillydallying, let’s get to what you clicked on this article for. We’ll start with the starting pitchers, since there’s a lot to go over there.

Matt Manning— bicep tendinitis

It’s been a tumultuous rehab process for the 2016 first round pick. Manning originally went on the IL on April 16 with right shoulder soreness, and the recovery process was originally thought to be quite short. But then he suffered a minor setback. Then he was pulled early from a rehab start because he was dehydrated.

Then he was pulled early again from another rehab start because he had thrown 30 pitches in an inning. As it turned out, Manning had been hiding something from the organization.

Manning had apparently seen all the injuries to the starting rotation and wanted to pitch through it, but the team wasn’t having any of that. It is unknown how long Manning will be shut down for.

Casey Mize— elbow strain

Mize has been on the injured list since April 15 with a right elbow strain. An MRI confirmed no further damage, which was a relief to Tigers fans everywhere.

But then he got shelled in his first rehab start with Triple-A Toledo, allowing three runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning. His velocity was down the entire outing.

The Detroit Tigers decided to send him back to Lakeland for further rehab work. A.J. Hinch made it clear that he wasn’t being shut down. He is currently preparing to restart his throwing program, according to Evan Petzold from the Detroit Free Press.

Eduardo Rodriguez— ribcage strain

When E-rod motioned to the trainer after recording just one out in his May 18 start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Tigers fans had to hold their breath. Luckily, it hasn’t been as serious as once feared.

Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day IL on May 22 with a ribcage strain. He started throwing on May 26 and the hope is to ramp things up quickly.

Tyler Alexander— left elbow sprain

Alexander was placed on the IL on May 2 with a left elbow sprain, which was one of the roster moves the team used to get down to 26 players from 28. He made his first rehab start for Toledo last night…and it didn’t go well.

Alexander went three innings, gave up five runs on six hits, including one homer. He walked one and struck out two. Not a great start.

Following this rehab assignment, the Tigers will determine whether he comes back into the rotation or he returns to the bullpen.

Michael Pineda— fractured middle finger

Pineda had to leave his start against the Baltimore Orioles on May 14 after being struck by a line drive. It was later revealed that he had a fractured right middle finger, and was placed on the 15-day IL. No further update is available at this time.

Spencer Turnbull— Tommy John surgery

Turnbull underwent Tommy John surgery last July. Petzold reported back on May 18 that he has been playing catch, but is not yet ready to throw off a mound.

Jose Cisnero— right shoulder strain

The first reliever on the list, Cisnero was placed on the 60-day IL on April 6 with a right shoulder strain after suffering the injury late in spring training. The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen reported on May 26 that he has resumed throwing, and Chris McCosky from The Detroit News reported on May 29 that he is nearing a rehab assignment.

Kyle Funkhouser— right lat strain

Funkhouser missed all of spring training with lat issues, then was placed on the IL to start the season. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 23. A.J. Hinch said on April 24 that Funkhouser could need surgery, but so far he has opted not to go that route. Hinch said on May 17 that Funkhouser has still yet to be cleared to begin a throwing program.

Will Vest— COVID-19

Vest was placed on the COVID-IL on May 20. He has since cleared protocols and had a rehab appearance with Toledo last night. He appears very close to returning.

That’s it for the pitchers. Mercifully. On to the position players.

Riley Greene— fractured foot

Detroit Tigers fans, rejoice. Riley Greene has been activated from the IL. He’ll remain with Toledo for a bit until the Tigers think he’s ready, but the newly named No. 1 prospect in baseball is not far from making his MLB debut.

Austin Meadows— vertigo

Not long ago, it wasn’t looking good for Meadows. His vertigo was really bothering him. Hinch even said the team was “very concerned about him.”

Well, it was announced Tuesday morning that Meadows would begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. If all goes well, he should rejoin the team on their upcoming road trip.

Victor Reyes— right quad strain

In his first game back from a left quad strain, Reyes went and strained his other quad. If that doesn’t explain the Detroit Tigers’ injury luck in a nutshell, I don’t know what does.

Stavenhagen reported on May 26 that Reyes had began running. Hopefully he is on the up-and-up as well.

Jake Rogers— Tommy John surgery

In a bit of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, Hinch recently expressed some optimism that Rogers could play this season. He underwent Tommy John surgery last September, and has recently begun catching some bullpen sessions down in Lakeland. No concrete timetable is available yet for Rogers’ returns, but this is a good sign.

Robbie Grossman— neck strain

Grossman joined the ranks of the injured yesterday after leaving Sunday’s game against Cleveland with neck spasms. He was placed on the 10-day IL and Kody Clemens was called up to take his spot on the roster. No timetable is available for Grossman’s return.