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One of the biggest surprises of this season has been the fact that the best team in baseball so far is the Detroit Tigers. Not only did they head into Friday’s home game against the Cleveland Guardians at 33-18 — an MLB-best .647 winning percentage — the Tigers reached the top of ESPN’s power rankings released on Thursday.
Detroit started the season at No. 18 in the ESPN rankings, but has vaulted up the chart, winning 15 of its last 21 games.
“Plenty is going right for the Tigers: the resurgence of Javier Baez … in center field; Tarik Skubal’s sterling defense of his AL Cy Young Award; former No. 1 picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize finding their way; and the bullpen’s dominance,” wrote the ESPN power rankings staff. “Lost in those headlines is Gleyber Torres having a solid season, continuing where he left off down the stretch in 2024 with the Yankees.”
And yet, the Tigers have done it all while dealing with a series of injuries that would slow down many teams. Their $15 million free agent pitching acquisition Alex Cobb has yet to take the mound. Centerfielder Parker Meadows has also been out since spring training. Torres missed almost two weeks with an oblique strain. Those names are just a few of the Tigers’ walking wounded.
But one outfielder (who doubles as a third baseman), Matt Vierling, is finally ready to take his place in the Detroit lineup. After missing the entire season so far with a right rotator cuff strain, the 28-year-old, fifth-year player was finally activated from the injured list on Friday.
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Vierling played an important role in last season’s Tigers comeback, getting into the playoffs despite being two games under .500 as late as Aug. 22. With 16 home runs and a .735 OPS, Vierling’s 3.0 WAR was second-highest of any position player on last year’s Detroit team.
Other than 32-year-old veteran Javy Baez, who has converted to a center fielder due to the multiple outfield injuries and has so far produced his best performance at the plate since 2021, the Detroit outfield has been a patchwork product. Vierling and Meadows have missed time with injuries, and Manuel Margot and Wenceel Perez have served IL stints as well.
Despite being eligible to play, Vierling was not in the Tigers’ starting lineup on Friday.
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