Tigers fans might've forgotten about most exciting top prospect's return from surgery

Back when the Tigers made draft picks that made sense, they selected Bryce Rainer as the 11th overall pick in 2024. He was widely expected to go in the top-10, but he landed in the Tigers' laps on a $5.8 million over-slot deal.

He made his professional debut in Single-A in 2025, but his season was cut dramatically short when he sustained a shoulder injury while diving back to first to avoid a tag in just his 35th game of the season. He underwent surgery to repair it shortly thereafter, but the Tigers were optimistic that he would be ready to go by spring training in 2026.

It makes sense if Rainer's sort of fallen off of fans' radars in the interim, even though he's still Detroit's No. 3 prospect and No. 35 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

He didn't get a non-roster invite to spring training alongside fellow top prospects Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceño (Clark and Briceño sandwich Rainer at No. 2 and No. 4 in the Tigers' rankings), but he is in minor league camp and is expected to be ready to go by the Single-A Flying Tigers' Opening Day.

Tigers No. 3 prospect Bryce Rainer working his way back after a season-ending shoulder surgery

The Tigers have no reason to rush Rainer, who was drafted out of high school (Harvard-Westlake, Jack Flaherty's alma mater) as a shortstop. He was on a nice tear until he dislocated his shoulder on June 3, batting .288 with a .831 OPS, five homers, 22 RBI, and 20 walks to 33 strikeouts in Lakeland.

MLB Pipeline gives him especially high marks for his arm and power. He was a two-way player in high school, but chose the offensive side of the road in his senior year. He had a 90th percentile exit velocity and a 52.8% hard-hit rate in Lakeland before he got hurt.

Rainer still isn't expected to land in the majors until 2028, at which point McGonigle (also a shortstop) will almost certainly be a staple of the Tigers' lineup. Third base is an eternal problem for the Tigers, so maybe a guy with an arm like Rainer's could work at the hot corner.

It's probably a little too early to speculate on that too much, though. For now, it's just a relief to hear that he's getting back to 100% and will be back in action in 2026.