7 injured Detroit Tigers players whose returns could save Detroit's season

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It is hardly a secret that the Detroit Tigers have struggled in 2023 so far. As of 6/22, they find themselves four games back in the woeful American League Central and eight games back in the AL wild card race which is decidedly more competitive. Its fair to say that while there weren't huge expectations for the Tigers in 2023, their chances have been greatly hurt by the sheer number of injuries they have endured this season.

However, despite losing most of their ideal rotation and several key pieces of their offense, the Tigers are still somehow in contention for a playoff spot. Again, the AL Central is truly terrible this year. The Minnesota Twins currently lead the division with a sub .500 record and no team in the division looks particularly hot at the moment. The Indians' pitching has been solid, but that offense isn't scaring anyone. The White Sox and Royals already look like they are going to be sellers at the trade deadline and are unlikely to factor in the division race.

This is a weird situation that Detroit has the unique ability to take advantage of if some things go their way. We will be covering the Tigers and the trade deadline as we get closer, but there is a real argument to be made that they should actually be buyers. However, for that to be feasible, some of these injuries have to start having some pretty favorable outcomes over the next month or so.

Here is a look some of the injured Tigers players whose returns in 2023 could help save Detroit's season.

Riley Greene

This one is a no brainer. The Tigers' offense has been one of the worst ones in baseball with a team wRC+ of 87 (for reference, 100 is average). Conversely, before he went down with a stress fracture in his left fibula, Riley Greene looked poised to break out in 2023 as he had a 127 wRC+ and a .296/.362/.443 slash line. He still leads the team in fWAR at 1.6 despite not playing a game in the month of June.

Fortunately for the Tigers, Greene seems to be on the comeback trail. He is already starting to run a bit again, playing catch, and doing some work in the batting cage as well. A lot of his return will depend on how his leg looks on scans, but he could return in July and immediately provide Detroit's lineup with a big boost.

Akil Baddoo

This one requires a bit more squinting and hoping, but there is cause for optimism with Akil Baddoo. Before he hurt his quad in early June, he was coming off a month of May where he was a key cog in the offense that helped the Tigers to a winning record for the month. While his hit tool seems to come and go, he has always drawn walks at a high clip and is productive on the base paths when he reaches base.

Soft tissue injuries are notoriously tricky to put a timeline on and this is especially true of quad injuries. However, Baddoo seems to be on a similar rehab progression as Greene as he is already doing some baseball activities. We don't know anything for certain yet and there could always be setbacks, but a July return seems to be possible. If they get the version of Baddoo that was raking in May or even the 2021 version, he will be a very valuable addition.

Matt Manning

This could where the start of the reconstruction of the Tigers' rotation begins. Manning broke a bone in his foot after getting hit by a comebacker in April and was placed on the 60 day injured list. That designation meant he had to stay out until mid-June and he has been on track as he has made multiple rehab starts already.

Most indications are that Manning could make his return next week. Detroit's rotation has ranked in the bottom third of the league for most of the season, so getting a guy back that posted a 3.43 ERA in 12 starts last year should provide some welcome stability.

Eduardo Rodriguez

This is a bit of a weird one. Before he went down with a left finger injury, Eduardo Rodriguez had been one of the better performer pitchers in all of baseball with a 2.13 ERA in 11 starts. For a team that has already lost so much on the pitching side to injury, Rodriguez going down was particularly brutal.

There are a couple ways this could go because unlike the other names on this list, Rodriguez has been mentioned repeatedly as a guy that could be available to other teams at the trade deadline. If he returns reasonably quickly (he is throwing bullpens now), the team will have a tough decision to make. Either keep Rodriguez and hope they will get enough help to make a playoff push OR trade Rodriguez and look towards the future more. It is a legitimately tough call but either way it goes, Rodriguez getting healthy should help Detroit significantly.

Tarik Skubal

When he is healthy, Tarik Skubal has some of the more exciting stuff in the entire Tigers' organization. Unfortunately, he hasn't had the best luck when it comes to injuries as he had Tommy John surgery while in college and then had flexor tendon surgery last August that has kept him out this season as well.

The good news here is that Skubal has been making rehab starts and appears to be making some real progress in building up innings. There are some that think he could return by the end of June, but even if he has to wait until July to make his return to the big leagues, Detroit is going to love having his ability to miss bats back in the rotation. The hope, of course, is that he isn't too rusty as he has been out for a while.

Casey Mize

You may have figured out that we are getting more and more speculative here as the list goes on and that brings us to Casey Mize. Mize's 2021 season where he posted a 3.71 ERA in 30 starts gave Tigers fans som real hope that he could be a core part of their rotation for years to come. Unfortunately, elbow trouble knocked him out of action after two starts in 2022 and he had Tommy John surgery a couple months after that. It was later revealed that he also had to have back surgery after his Tommy John procedure.

It is currently unclear as to whether or not Mize will for sure return in 2023, but there are some good signs. He is doing some measure of bullpen work and while it is very clear that a rehab assignment is not imminent, a late season return seems possible at the moment. Whether or not to push things with Mize may be dictated by how Detroit's playoff odds look later in the season, but he should be a big help whenever he returns.

Austin Meadows

This is the player on the list with the least amount of clarity because, well, it isn't a physical injury we are dealing with here. Austin Meadows has some tantalizing offensive potential as we saw during his time with the Rays. Unfortunately, his playing time with the Tigers has been very limited and he had to step away from baseball due to some mental health challenges that he is needing to work through.

We did get an update on Austin Meadows recently that was positive regarding his treatment and it is worth noting that he is working out while he works through his troubles with anxiety and his mental health. The hope, of course, is that he is able to take the field again in 2023 and help the Tigers' offense, but the more important thing here is that he gets all of the help and support he needs.

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