Tigers Injury Update: Gleyber Torres recovery, Jackson Jobe timeline, Reese Olson

For a franchise that spent much of 2025 duct-taping together a rotation and praying its lineup wouldn’t spontaneously combust, the Detroit Tigers’ winter has delivered something rare: positive injury news.

Beau Brieske, Gleyber Torres, Jake Miller, Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe — all of whom missed significant time or ended their seasons under medical supervision — are officially trending upward. And in a Tigers offseason defined by uncertainty, stalled contract negotiations and incessant roster-building debates, this batch of updates finally gives fans something to exhale about.

Let's break down the Tigers' medical update shared by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday, with a focus on three key players who can have a major impact in 2026.

Tigers Injury Update: Gleyber Torres, Reese Olson, Jackson Jobe trending upward

Torres, fresh off sports hernia repair, has been fully cleared to resume all baseball activities and train without restrictions after accepting the Tigers' one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer for the 2026 season.

For a player the Tigers are counting on to stabilize their infield production, this is quietly huge. The hernia limited his explosiveness late in the season, and anyone who watched his range or swing mechanics could see the discomfort bleeding into his performance. A fully healthy Torres means the Tigers can actually project him as a full-time, everyday impact infielder rather than a “hope he feels good today” question mark.

Considering the Tigers’ offense is equal parts promise and growing pains, Torres getting a clean bill of health takes pressure off Scott Harris to hunt down another infielder in the short term. If Torres looks like the All-Star version of himself, this lineup gets longer, tougher, and more professional overnight.

Now, here’s the update that could quietly shape the entire 2026 rotation plan: Olson will begin his throwing progression this week.

After a right shoulder strain shut him down at the tail end of 2025, the Tigers weren’t going to rush anything. Shoulder issues are unpredictable, so the fact that Olson is ready to begin a structured throwing program suggests that there is no lingering damage and a normal spring ramp-up is still on the table if all goes well.

The Tigers’ rotation picture has been a talking point all winter — especially with contract questions surrounding Tarik Skubal and the need to avoid repeating the “patchwork staff” approach from last season. Getting Olson back on track gives Detroit a young, cost-controlled, mid-rotation weapon whose pitch mix (elite changeup, sweeping slider) was quietly one of the most effective in the American League when healthy.

Finally, Jobe will also begin his throwing progression next week after undergoing Tommy John surgery. For the Tigers, this is not about Opening Day –– or even midseason. It’s about making sure Jobe's recovery timeline remains on schedule and his mechanics rebuild cleanly from the ground up.

Jobe represents Detroit’s highest-ceiling pitching prospect in a decade — maybe longer — and how the organization handles him now will directly affect the franchise’s competitive window behind Skubal. A smooth rehab means Jobe stays on track to return to the mound later in 2026 and ramp into a full workload by 2027, when the Tigers’ young core should be peaking together.

These injury updates don’t fix the Tigers' offense. They don’t answer the Skubal extension drama. And they don’t hand Detroit a playoff spot. But they do offer clarity — something the Tigers have desperately lacked during this transition-heavy offseason.

In a winter full of rumors, half-measures, and “we’ll see,” the Tigers finally received some concrete, encouraging news. That's a win worth celebrating.