Tigers immediately end valuable utility man's MLB return with surprise IL trip

The Detroit Tigers have gotten ridiculously unlucky with injuries this year, and position players in particular have been going down at a concerning clip ever since spring training. They started the season without a clear center fielder, with both Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling on the shelf, and have also lost Gleyber Torres, Jake Rogers, and Wenceel Pérez at certain points during the season.

Detroit has been rolling so far this year, and Javy Báez has proved that he's actually a pretty good outfielder, but getting Vierling back on Friday added a little extra protection and restored some outfield depth. He started the year on the IL with a shoulder strain and had a bumpy rehab on his way back.

Either Vierling wasn't ready to come back in the first place, or this shoulder issue is going to be a worrisomely chronic issue, because the Tigers put him back onto the 10-day IL on Tuesday, four days after he came off of it.

The silver lining here is that Wenceel Pérez was activated off of the 60-day IL as the corresponding move for Vierling, but the Tigers just can't seem to keep their outfielders healthy.

Matt Vierling goes back onto the Tigers IL four days after return; Wenceel Pérez activated

AJ Hinch also hinted at even more health struggles last week, when he explained Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry's absences from Friday's lineup by saying, "Physically, we're not in a great place. [...] Riley always feels like he's right on that edge of dealing with something."

While the honesty is refreshing, that's definitely not something that Tigers fans want to hear. Both Greene and McKinstry have been two of the biggest contributors to Detroit's offense so far this season, and Vierling anchored it for most of 2024. Getting him back meant that the Tigers had a stronger bat at third base, a position they've struggled with a lot in the past few years, and even more defensive versatility stacking the roster.

The issue this time is right shoulder inflammation instead of a strain, which is a bad sign. If this IL stint goes the same way as the last one, fans probably shouldn't expect to see him back until August. The Tigers have made do in his absence, but this is an incredibly worrisome (and more than a little exasperating) development just days after fans welcomed Vierling back to the lineup.