Tigers get promising injury updates that could help forecast 2025 Opening Day roster

Although the Tigers managed to take a key series from the Red Sox over the weekend, which raised fans' hopes about a potential playoff run even higher, our eyes are still mostly on the future. On the off chance that Detroit does actually make it into a Wild Card spot, it'd be a thrilling and much deserved feather in the cap of perhaps the most improved team in baseball this season. But for now, we'll remain level-headed.

A couple of potential pieces of that success who have been stuck on the IL might be headed back soon to close out the season with the team and prove they'll be parts of the equation next year despite their absences.

Wenceel Pérez went onto the 10-day IL on Aug. 10 with an oblique strain, which most predicted would keep him out of commission for the rest of the year. However, the Tigers sent him on a rehab assignment to Triple-A on Monday, so he could be back for the last couple weeks of 2024.

His rehab coincided with Reese Olson's, who's been on the 15-day IL since July 21, when Olson threw a live BP to Pérez on Saturday. His timeline is a little less clear, but if the Tigers get him to Toledo within the next week, he could also be back for a start at the end of the year.

Wenceel Pérez could return to Tigers this season, Reese Olson throwing live batting practices

Pérez's return to the major league roster this year is probably contingent on how he looks in the minors and how Justyn-Henry Malloy is doing after being called back up as part of the September roster expansion. Pérez was floundering a bit in July and August before his injury, batting .200 across both months. He went 0-for-2 with a walk during his first rehab game, but we suspect he'll be given a bit more run as the Tigers keep an eye on Malloy's production.

Olson is a different story. If he can come back this season, he will. Casey Mize is returned from a prolonged IL stint, but the Tigers still only have three starters. Although the bullpen has been holding things down remarkably well, even with Tarik Skubal recently getting six days between starts, an extra starter certainly wouldn't hurt. Detroit will also need a better look at where their rotation stands as they head into the offseason and presumably look for a couple more short-term starters to supplement behind Skubal, Mize, Olson, and Keider Montero.

So the Tigers have a lot to look forward to in this last month of the season, including (and especially) a potential playoff push. Even if they can't make it happen, they seem to be in very good shape for next year, which is all fans can ask for at this point.