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Vierling is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.
Vierling was essentially the Tigers' everyday center fielder in May, but he's started just four of nine games since the calendar flipped to June. The Tigers are going with Zach McKinstry in center field for Thursday's series finale.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Left out of starting nine
Rotowire
Vierling is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.
Vierling will head to the bench after having gone hitless in eight at-bats over his last three games, dropping his average to .208 through 188 plate appearances on the season. Zach McKinstry will get the nod in center field in place of Vierling on Wednesday.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Vierling is not in the Tigers' starting lineup against the Mariners on Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Vierling will be on the bench for the series finale after going 0-for-3 in Saturday's loss. The Tigers will start Riley Greene, Wenceel Perez and Kerry Carpenter in the outfield from left to right.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Bowing out of starting nine
Rotowire
Vierling is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
He'll head to the bench after starting in each of Detroit's last four games while going 2-for-13 with two walks and a run. Wenceel Perez will cover center field in Vierling's place in the series opener.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Idle Wednesday
Rotowire
Vierling is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Vierling will get a breather Wednesday after he started in each of the Tigers' previous three games, including both ends of a doubleheader Sunday. Wenceel Perez will replace Vierling in center field and will bat seventh.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Three hits in day game
Rotowire
Vierling went 3-for-4 with one RBI in a 5-3 loss to the Orioles in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader.
Vierling had gone five contests without a multi-hit effort, though he had a home run and three walks in that span. The outfielder has struggled to string together consistent performances at the plate this season. He's batting .217 with a .668 OPS, four home runs, 21 RBI, 12 runs scored, nine doubles and two stolen bases over 146 plate appearances. He has a clear path to at-bats as long as the Tigers are missing Parker Meadows (arm), Javier Baez (ankle) and Kerry Carpenter (shoulder).
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Homers again Monday
Rotowire
Vierling went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-2 loss to the Guardians.
Vierling is now up to four home runs this season, with two of those long balls coming in the last three days. The veteran is seeing an uptick in playing time in center field with Parker Meadows (arm) and Javier Baez (ankle) both on the injured list. Vierling has yet to truly get going with a .211 batting average and .676 OPS, though his recent stretch offers some glimmer of optimism, and he should continue to be a lineup regular with his two teammates on the shelf.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Provides offense Saturday
Rotowire
Vierling went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays.
Vierling opened the scoring with his third home run of the season in the sixth inning, but Detroit was unable to muster any more offense in the narrow defeat. The utility player hasn't done much offensively this year with a .213/.281/.380 slash line through 37 games, though he has seen an uptick in playing time in center field with Parker Meadows (arm) and Javier Baez (ankle) both on the injured list at the moment.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Exiting starting lineup
Rotowire
Vierling is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Mets.
Vierling had started each of the last nine games in center field, but he'll take a seat in Thursday's series finale. It will be Wenceel Perez handling center field and batting eighth as the Tigers look to avoid the sweep.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Plates two runs in win
Rotowire
Vierling went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a walk in Sunday's 6-3 victory over Kansas City.
Vierling's lone hit was an impactful one, as he laced a two-out, two-RBI double off the wall in the second inning, advancing to third base on a Kyle Isbel error. Over the past seven games, Vierling has tallied four extra-base hits. His season numbers remain pedestrian, however, as he is slashing .217/.282/.380 with two homers, 17 RBI, nine runs and a stolen base across 33 games.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
Vierling went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-3 loss to the Red Sox.
Vierling was one of the few bright spots for Detroit, as he went deep to lead off in the bottom of the first inning. It was only the second long ball of the year for the veteran utility player, who is batting just .221 with a .669 OPS. Vierling has seen a bit more playing time lately with Parker Meadows (arm) and Javier Baez (ankle) both on the injured list, but he isn't guaranteed to hold onto a regular role for the rest of the season.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Heading to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Vierling is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
Vierling had started each of the last four games, going a collective 1-for-14 with a 3:1 BB:K. Though he'll hit the bench Wednesday, Vierling's outlook for playing time appears to have improved with Javier Baez (ankle) landing on the injured list.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Grabbing seat Monday
Rotowire
Baez is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Red Sox.
Baez had drawn seven consecutive starts, but he'll get a day off for the Patriots' Day game in Boston. Matt Vierling will patrol center field, and Kevin McGonigle will occupy shortstop in the series finale.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Tallies first stolen base Thursday
Rotowire
Vierling went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Royals.
The 29-year-old got the start in center field Thursday with Javier Baez playing shortstop and rookie Kevin McGonigle sliding over to third base. Vierling responded by delivering his first stolen base and first multi-hit effort of the year. He is seeing inconsistent playing time at the moment in his utility role, which limits his fantasy upside for the time being, but Vierling can still produce on a per-game basis.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Pops first home run in win
Rotowire
Vierling went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 11-6 win over St. Louis.
Vierling didn't appear in the contest until the fourth inning, when he lifted a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter. In the eighth inning, he put the game out of reach with his first home run of the season with a runner on. Vierling has now appeared in five of Detroit's first eight games but has only seen 10 at-bats. The lack of consistent playing time limits the veteran's fantasy value, though he would be in line for an expanded role if any of Detroit's regulars went down with an injury.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Continues torrid spring
Rotowire
Vierling, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, is sporting a 1.039 OPS this spring.
Vierling has gone 11-for-31 with six extra-base hits and seven RBI in 11 Grapefruit League contests to date. The 29-year-old is expected to serve as a fourth outfielder and possible infield option this year, though his strong play could ultimately lead to elevated playing time. Parker Meadows and Wenceel Perez are struggling this spring, and both are candidates to cede time to Vierling if he continues to outperform them at the plate in the regular season.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Off to strong spring start
Rotowire
Through six Grapefruit League games, Vierling has gone 8-for-15 with two walks, a double, a triple and a home run.
Vierling was particularly effective Friday, when he went 3-for-3 with a home run, three total runs scored and four RBI against the Red Sox. The utility player had an injury-marred 2025 campaign, but he's been healthy so far in his camp, and his early production is a promising sign. Vierling likely won't have a regular starting role when the regular season gets underway, though he should still see plenty of playing time at multiple positions for the Tigers.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Feels fully healthy
Rotowire
Vierling (oblique) has been working out at full strength and should be fully ready to go for the start of the regular season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Recurring shoulder problems and a late-season oblique strain limited Vierling to just 31 regular-season games and 100 plate appearances in 2025, and he missed Detroit's postseason run entirely. However, the versatile 29-year-old has had ample time to recover in the offseason, and he seems to be fully healthy for the start of the 2026 campaign. Vierling projects as the Tigers' top backup in the corner-outfield spots, and he can play in center and at third base as well. He's likely a more valuable asset in real baseball than he is in fantasy, but he could have some utility if he's able to log regular at-bats and get back near his production from 2024, when he recorded 16 home runs, 57 RBI and a .735 OPS across 144 regular-season contests.
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Tigers' Matt Vierling: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
The Tigers and Vierling avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.255 million contract Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Vierling was limited to just 31 games in 2025 due to injury, slashing .239/.310/.307 in those contests. He'll enter spring training healthy and look to carve out a regular role again with Detroit in 2026. Vierling with be eligible for salary arbitration a final time in 2027.
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