Tigers continue behind-the scenes-overhaul with medical staff after injury-plagued season

The Detroit Tigers have, in recent history, had a bad relationship with the Injured List. In 2026 alone, 21 unique players were felled by injuries, with a shocking 15 of them being 60-day IL stints. While not the single most injured team in MLB by sheer severity score, the Tigers were also devastated by pitcher injuries in 2025, leading to this being a deeply pressing issue for the team heading into next season and beyond.

In recent weeks, it was announced that both Scott Peters and Jeremiah Randall had been hired to completely overhaul the Tigers' medical staff. What wasn't explicitly said is that these two are not going to take on the roles of their predecessors; they are going to completely reshape the Tigers' recovery and fitness structure across the entire roster.

The new hires, and new specialties

First, there's Medical Director Peters, whom Harris and co. snatched away from the Blue Jays after 11 seasons being their Director of Health and Performance Science specifically for scouting. Peters will bring his understanding of an expansive role to the Tigers' MLB roster and will work with recent vice-President hire Jay Sartori on navigating current injuries, but also avoiding future ones.

Next, and even more excitingly, there's Head Athletic Trainer and Personal Therapist Randall. Randall and Hinch worked together in Houston in 2019, continuing to shape the pipeline between the two organizations. Randall has a specific strength when it comes to rehabilitating soft-tissue injuries, including ligaments like the UCL, hernias like the one that stifled Gleyber Torres, and muscles.

Restructuring wellness

The two new hires are going to take on a much more progressive and active role in the players' individual regiments than the previous core of Ryne Eubanks and Chris McDonald. The two of them were not cast off as poor at their job, but the organization as a whole has acknowledged that connecting analytics and player health is the most important direction to focus on going forward.

Sartori, known for his previous role in the organization completely reinventing the way the Tigers scouted prospects, will team up both Peters and Randall to make everyday and long-term decisions about how players should go about their conditioning, but also various coaching methods that can be easily communicated to the hitting and pitching staff. In layman's terms, these are very intriguing hires, and while we shouldn't necessarily expect fewer overall injuries, we can potentially expect better recovery and less wear and tear like we saw from Dillon Dingler late in the season.

The health staff hires represent a dramatic shift for the Tigers from a stable unit that allows young players to develop and build their own destiny, to one building around the current core and shaping the already established players into the best versions of themselves regardless of circumstance. You can see this through the savvy hires of Martín Maldonado as quality control coach and Kyle Hudson as first base coach as well.

Coaching doesn't always change the way a team plays, but Harris and Hinch must both agree that a more forward-thinking coaching staff was the correct next move for this organization.

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