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Invasive Tigers fan uncovers truth about injured player's recovery

Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling, center, talks to teammates during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have been relatively vague with their expected return timelines for their lengthy list on injured players. But thanks to one exceptionally observant (and borderline intrusive?) fan, we may have gotten some clarity as to when one of those injured players could be returning to game action.

In a post Friday morning on X, former Madonna University baseball player Joey PeJuan said that Tigers utility man Matt Vierling's bag had been "spotted" at the airport headed to Boston. PeJuan also posted a photo of the bag, which appears to be official team issue and sports Vierling's jersey No. 8, sitting in what appears to be the cargo hold of a plane and tagged with "BOS" as its destination.

PeJuan further noted that the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, are currently playing a road series against the Boston Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, Mass., suggesting that Vierling's bag being headed to Boston could mean that he is joining Toledo to begin a rehab assignment.

Invasive Tigers fan uncovers truth about Matt Vierling's recovery, possible return timeline

Vierling, who opened the season on the IL with a right rotator cuff muscle strain, had been shut down from throwing for several weeks, but was cleared to progress his throwing volume and intensity following a doctor's examination earlier this week.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Vierling could begin his rehab assignment "pretty soon," and the club's injury and transaction long indicates that he is expected to return to the Tigers in "early to mid May." If PeJuan's suspicions are correct, Vierling could be starting his Triple-A rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.

Vierling had previously been rehabbing at the Tigers' facility in Lakeland, Fla. He has been hitting since the start of the regular season and resumed a throwing program in early April, but he still needed to clear the final hurdle of "baseball throwing" – throws across the infield or from the outfield – before he can return to game action.

If his bag is indeed headed to Boston, it could be a sign that Vierling has cleared (or will soon clear) that hurdle and will soon be one step closer to rejoining the Tigers.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.