Vierling (oblique) is an option to be added to the roster if the Tigers advance to the ALDS, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Vierling had to be pulled off a rehab assignment after suffering a setback with his left oblique in mid-September. He's been progressing of late, however, having taken 40 swings Monday as he works out at the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. Vierling has been limited to only 31 games this season due to injury and isn't a lock to be added to the roster even if he's deemed 100 percent.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Shut down following setback
Rotowire
Vierling has been pulled off his rehab assignment due to renewed soreness in his left oblique, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Vierling is undergoing further evaluation before the Tigers determine the next steps for him. With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, a return for Vierling before the end of the month seems unlikely. He's been sidelined since early August and has been limited to only 31 games this season due to various injuries.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Vierling (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Vierling has been idle since Aug. 9 due to a strained left oblique. His 2025 season has been torpedoed by injuries, limiting Vierling to just 31 games at the big-league level. He's slashed .239/.310/.307 with one home run, 11 RBI, six runs scored, two stolen bases and a 7:24 BB:K across 100 plate appearances for Detroit.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Begins hitting progression
Rotowire
Manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that Vierling (oblique) has begun a hitting progression but isn't yet ready to head out on a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "He's taking indoor swings and still doing some defensive work. He's just not full-go yet," Hinch said. "Given the time of year and the nature of the injury, a setback would likely end his season, so we have to be very careful."
Detroit still remains hopeful that Vierling will be ready for activation from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season, but he'll likely need to head out on a rehab assignment within the next week or two for a return to the big-league roster to become realistic. Due to a shoulder injury suffered in spring training in addition to his left oblique strain, Vierling has played in just 31 games for Detroit this season, slashing .239/.310/.307 with one home run and two stolen bases across 100 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Shut down with oblique injury
Rotowire
The Tigers placed Vierling on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left oblique strain.
Vierling started in right field but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning in Saturday's 7-4 loss, and his departure was seemingly due to the oblique injury. Manager A.J. Hinch indicated after the game that the issue is considered mild, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. Despite the skipper's optimism, Vierling could still be at risk of missing more than the minimum 10 days as he heads to the IL for the third time this season. The Tigers recalled infielder Trey Sweeney from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Hits key home run Friday
Rotowire
Vierling appeared as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-1 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-5 win over the Angels.
Vierling pinch hit for Kerry Carpenter in the eighth inning to face Los Angeles lefty Reid Detmers, and Vierling promptly launched his first home run of the season to erase a 5-3 deficit. While Vierling has struggled for much of the year, he has been better lately with a .273 batting average over his last 15 games. The veteran should continue to see regular time in center field with Parker Meadows (quad) on the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Tallies first two-hit game
Rotowire
Vierling went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Twins.
Batting second for just the second time this season, Vierling responded with his first multi-hit performance of the year. The veteran, who's managed to appear in only 28 games so far as he's dealt with a handful of injuries, has struggled to get his bat going. Despite some struggles at the plate, Vierling offers plenty of defensive versatility for Detroit, so he should continue to see ample playing time at a handful of positions. At the moment, he's primarily playing center field with Parker Meadows (quad) on the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Giving way to Baez on Wednesday
Rotowire
Vierling is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Vierling had started three of the Tigers' last four games in center field but will hit the bench while Javier Baez gets a day out of the infield and draws a start in center for the first time since June 4. With Parker Meadows (quadriceps) recently landing on the shelf, the Tigers could opt for a loose timeshare in center between Vierling and Baez, neither of whom has produced especially well at the plate over the past month.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Playing time picking up
Rotowire
Vierling will start in right field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Though he'll be filling in for a resting Wenceel Perez in the series finale, Vierling could be encroaching on Parker Meadows' role as the Tigers' preferred option in center field. Since returning from the injured list June 28, Vierling had been in center against left-handed pitching, but he also received the nod over Meadows in two of the Tigers' previous four matchups with righties. Vierling has gone just 4-for-25 with a 6:6 BB:K in eight games since being activated.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Set to play third Thursday
Rotowire
Vierling (shoulder) is slated to start at third base for Triple-A Toledo in a rehab game Thursday and also see some more time in the outfield before his return to the majors, which is likely to come within a week.
Vierling has worked his way up from serving as the DH to seeing some time in the outfield during his rehab assignment, and he'll now shift over to third base. The team wants to see the 28-year-old take some reps at the hot corner and also play a bit more in the outfield before bringing him back to the majors. The Tigers lineup has done well in the absence of Vierling, so he may have to settle for more of a bench role initially, though he could eventually push for more playing time at third or in right field.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Vierling will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Vierling will play DH on Friday but is completing a throwing progression daily as part of his recovery from right shoulder inflammation. It's unclear how many games he'll need at Toledo, but he should be back on the active roster within a week or two.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Close to baseball activities
Rotowire
Vierling received an injection in his right shoulder Thursday and is expected to resume baseball activities within the next couple of days, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Vierling started the season on the 10-day injured list after straining his right rotator cuff in late February. He returned to major-league action May 23, but after just four games he was back on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation. Vierling is close to resuming baseball activities, and how his shoulder reacts to more work will provide the Tigers a better timeline for the 28-year-old's return.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Shoulder barking again
Rotowire
Vierling was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with right shoulder inflammation, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Vierling missed the first eight weeks of the season with a strained right rotator cuff muscle and played in only four big-league games before getting shut down again. Wenceel Perez was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Might return Sunday
Rotowire
Vierling (shoulder) could be activated from the 10-day injured list as soon as Sunday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
It sounds like Monday against the Giants is a likelier return date for Vierling, but he could be brought back a day earlier since the Tigers are slated to face lefty Logan Allen of the Guardians on Sunday. Vierling has been sidelined all season with a right rotator cuff strain but has played 11 rehab games, most recently playing all nine innings at third base Wednesday and another full game between third base and right field Thursday, both with Single-A Lakeland. The 28-year-old will have his rehab assignment shifted back to Triple-A Toledo on Friday.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Starting rehab assignment Sunday
Rotowire
Vierling (shoulder) will begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.
Vierling is in the final stages of his recovery from a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder, which caused him to start the season on the 10-day injured list. He will embark on his rehab assignment Sunday and will initially serve as the designated hitter before seeing reps in the outfield. Vierling finished the 2024 regular season with Detroit slashing .257/.312/.423 with six stolen bases, 16 home runs and 57 RBI over 567 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Not yet throwing
Rotowire
Vierling (shoulder) said Friday that he has yet to start up a throwing program, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The 28-year-old resumed hitting a couple weeks ago and is taking part in defensive drills, but he apparently needs to strengthen his shoulder a bit more before he can begin full baseball activities. According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Vierling will undergo an MRI within the next week, presumably to check the progress of the strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Sent to injured list
Rotowire
The Tigers placed Vierling (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Vierling was cleared to resume hitting and perform shoulder strengthening exercises Friday as the latest step in his rehab from a right rotator cuff strain. He still has a few more boxes to check before he can hope to begin a rehab assignment, but the door is still open for him to return to Detroit before May.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Progressing in rehab work
Rotowire
Vierling (shoulder) began a hitting progression this week and was cleared Friday to advance his shoulder strengthening exercises, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The 28-year-old resumed light baseball activities in early March after being shut down due to a strained rotator cuff early in camp, and he's now ramping up his rehab work. Vierling will begin the season on the injured list but could make his season debut sometime in April.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Gets more job security
Rotowire
With free agent Alex Bregman passing up the Tigers to sign with the Red Sox, Vierling should have a clearer path to regular starts at third base, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
If Bregman had joined Detroit, he likely would have played most days at the hot corner, pushing Vierling to a bench role. However, Vierling should now slot in as a primary option at third, though left-hand hitting Jace Jung figures to be in the mix too. On days when Jung enters the lineup, Vierling could slide to the outfield. This makes the veteran's 2025 fantasy outlook similar to 2024, when he slashed .257/.312/.423 with 16 home runs across 144 regular-season games.
... See More... See Less
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Avoids hearing with Detroit
Rotowire
The Tigers and Vierling avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.005 million contract Thursday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
It's a substantial pay increase for Vierling, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time. The super-utility player hit .257/.312/.423 with 16 home runs across 144 games for Detroit in 2024 and should see close to everyday playing time again in 2025.
