The Tigers have another shot to climb back to .500 on Wednesday, and they’ll try to do it without Riley Greene in the lineup.
Detroit enters the game against the Cleveland Guardians with a chance to hit the .500 mark for the first time since May 4 and claim its first series win over Cleveland in the 2026 season. The Tigers already took the opener behind Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark, though the bullpen nearly turned that into a mess late. Now the pressure shifts to a lineup that has to keep carrying the load against Framber Valdez, who gets the ball for Detroit as the club looks to keep its recent run going.
The matchup carries extra weight because Detroit hasn’t won a series against Cleveland since eliminating the Guardians in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card last season. Even with Cleveland’s recent form, this one still figures to be a tough ask.
The biggest blow for Detroit is Greene, who left Tuesday’s game with a hamstring injury after rounding the bases on a Spencer Torkelson RBI double. Greene had reached base in his lone plate appearance when Tanner Bibee hit him on the shin with a pitch.
Tigers PR announced on X that the three-time All-Star has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. It’s the first time Greene has landed on the IL since July 2024, also because of a hamstring strain.
Detroit filled the roster spot by recalling outfielder Corey Julks from Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers signed Julks this offseason, and he brings prior big-league time with the Houston Astros in 2023 and the Chicago White Sox from 2024 to 2025. To clear room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Troy Watson was designated for assignment.
Julks has been productive for Toledo this year, batting .273 with 15 home runs, 54 RBIs and an .800 OPS in 322 at-bats.
The Tigers also got left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus back from the paternity list, while right-hander Yilber Diaz was optioned to Triple-A.
A.J. Hinch’s lineup for Wednesday puts Gleyber Torres in the leadoff spot as the DH, followed by Dillon Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, Hao-Yu Lee, Spencer Torkelson, Ben Malgeri, Javier Baez, Max Clark and Corey Julks.
Torkelson is the name to watch. He’s hitting .228 overall, but August has been a different story.
He enters the game with a .351 average this month, along with six RBIs and 13 hits, only two of them for extra bases. He also comes in riding a five-game hitting streak after it was snapped on Aug. 5 in Seattle.
If that bat keeps moving and the power starts showing up again, Detroit’s lineup gets a lot more dangerous in a hurry.
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A.J. Hinch said the plan is to give Greene an off day and keep monitoring the situation on a day-by-day basis, with another evaluation coming the next day. For now, the Tigers are waiting on the kind of injury update that can quietly reshape a series, and maybe even the next stretch of the season, depending on what the testing and treatment reveal. [Read more 🡒]