Gleyber Torres hits another exasperating bump in the road as Tigers return is delayed

The Tigers snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Orioles, but it was a cold comfort.

Detroit isn't just in last place in the AL Central entering Tuesday's game; they have the second-worst record in baseball behind the Angels and Rockies. Their 8-21 record on the road is the worst in the game. They've only scored five or more runs three times in the month of May.

Offenses are spotty — that's just how the game goes — but the Tigers' offense has been almost nonexistent in the last month.

Three position players are on the IL — Javy Báez, Kerry Carpenter, and Gleyber Torres — and none are sniffing a return yet. Torres would arguably be the biggest help, with his plus defense at second base and .389 OBP before he went onto the IL, but he told reporters Sunday that he was in the middle of a four-day break from swinging after experiencing a setback in his progression.

"In Florida, we do a really good job. We hit a couple days, feels good, but when we try to hit a little bit more, don't feel any good," Torres said. "I can do everything, like defensively, running, everything, but the way I can't be able to [swing] right now is really tough."

Gleyber Torres experiences setback in return to Tigers, shut down from swinging

Torres initially went onto the IL on May 6 with an oblique strain and seemed to be making steady progress by the middle of the month, with hopes that he would be able to head to Toledo on a rehab assignment after returning to Detroit from Lakeland and getting checked by team doctors. Instead, he was shut down.

The best thing about Torres' tenure with the Tigers has been his consistency. He doesn't slug the way he used to as a 2022-23 Yankee, but he gets on base better than almost any other Tigers hitter. AJ Hinch put it best: "There's always a hit in there during the day. Even on his bad days, he's going to find a way to get on base or get a hit, and that's very, very stable in the top third of the order."

He's not a platoon bat like Carpenter, and he's not unpredictable like Báez. If Tigers fans could get one position player back tomorrow, the majority would (or should) pick Torres.

If he's experiencing pain whenever he swings right now, we shouldn't hold our breath for a rehab assignment anytime soon. We wouldn't be surprised if he has to go all the way back to square one, which is just the Tigers' luck these days.

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