Tigers Injury Update: Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows still ways away

Emma Lingan

Division Series - Detroit Tigers v Cleveland Guardians - Game 5 / Nick Cammett/GettyImages

The Detroit Tigers' outfield has been dealt some brutal blows this spring, with a pair of starters already set to open the 2025 season on the injured list.

There was some encouraging news on the injury front this week, however, when Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that Matt Vierling made progress in his recovery from a strained rotator cuff muscle in his right shoulder. However, he still won't be ready in time for Opening Day.

“It's encouraging news,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said (via Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press). “It's just a slow process. And I think as we wind down camp, I feel for him, because he's not gonna go with us, and he's ready to fast forward. “

According to the Tigers' injury report, Vierling started a hitting progression earlier this week and has been cleared to advance his shoulder strengthening exercises. While the update to Vierling's status is a positive one, Hinch cautioned that his recovery process would be a marathon, not a sprint, urging that the team must let the rehab process run its course while advising against being aggressive.

Tigers Injury Update: Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows still ways away

According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Hinch also told reporters that Meadows will need an additional four weeks of rest after undergoing a nerve conduction test. Meadows has been sidelined for several weeks due to an issue with the musculocutaneous nerve in his right arm, which has prevented him from throwing.

On a more positive note, he can still participate in limited baseball activities that don't involve throwing. This, Hinch said, should hopefully allow Meadows to ramp up relatively quickly once he is cleared to begin throwing again.

The Tigers confirmed their starting rotation for the beginning of the season on Saturday morning, and essentially did the same with their bullpen. Those areas of the roster didn't exactly have glaring questions, however. The lineup and position player depth is more of a concern, and while these updates aren't exactly encouraging, they at least give the Tigers more of a clue where they'll stand on March 27.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.