Despite a long string of injuries, the Detroit Tigers finished Thursday with the best record in baseball. The most recent one happened during Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians at a soggy Comerica Park.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres, the Tigers’ most well-known offseason acquisition, left the game in the fourth inning after lining out to center field, which was a concerning development. On camera, he was seen hobbling as he made his way downstairs to the Tigers clubhouse.
Although it was unknown how serious Torres’ injury was as of Thursday night, the Tigers said the 28-year-old native of Caracas, Venezuela, was having “lower right leg discomfort,” according to Detroit Free Press reporter Evan Petzold.
Torres ‘Under Evaluation’ For Leg Malady
Torres was “under evaluation” for the alleged injury, according to the Tigers. In lieu of Torres, manager A.J. Hinch substituted utility player Andy Ibáñez at second base.
Notable: Gleyber Torres left the game after lining out to end the third inning. Petzold noted, “The ball in play, hit with a 105.3 mph exit velocity, had an expected batting average of.670.” “However, Torres didn’t run to first base and was slow out of the box.”
Prior to Thursday’s game against the Guardians, the Tigers had won seven of their previous nine games, giving them a Major League-best record of 33-17.
Despite their 7-0 defeat to Cleveland, the Tigers would still be just one win away from the 32-18 Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the best MLB record.
Torres, who was acquired by the Tigers as a free agent in December after leaving the New York Yankees, has already had two injuries this season. Torres agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract with Detroit, subsequently disclosing that the Yankees never even offered him a contract to remain in the Bronx.
However, Torres reportedly hurt himself when he hit a home run off of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on March 28, the season’s second game. Torres clutched his right side during his round-the-bases trot, obviously in distress.
2nd Baseman Has ‘Quietly’ Been a Top Hitter for Detroit
Torres was placed on the disabled list when it was determined that the ailment was an oblique strain. On April 11, he was back in the lineup.
Torres undoubtedly appeared to have recovered from the oblique injury. Before Thursday, he had amassed 18 hits and nine walks in 75 plate appearances, enough for an OPS of.852 so far in May.
Torres “has quietly been one of the top performers during Detroit’s hot start, batting.277/.358/.426 with five home runs, 24 RBIs, four stolen bases, and more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in 38 games,” according to Tigers beat writer Jason Beck of MLB.com.
The Tigers had to put right-handed starting Reese Olson on the disabled list due to “right finger inflammation” just three days prior to Torres’ injury.
With a 2.96 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings pitched, Olson was enjoying the finest season of his three-year career, at least early in the 2025 campaign.
