Detroit Tigers: Tyler Collins is Injured, Can’t Play Center Field Yet
By Matt Snyder
Detroit Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins won’t be able to play the field for nearly two weeks due to a strained muscle in his back.
The injury bug isn’t doing the Detroit Tigers any favors in their quest to lock down the center field position. Tyler Collins is unable to throw and so won’t be able to play the outfield for a week or two due to a strained muscle in his back. This according to MLive’s Evan Woodbery.
Tyler Collins has strained lat and will be limited to DH or PH for first part of spring training.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) February 24, 2017
Collins can't throw for 10-14 days, per Ausmus. https://t.co/3RSqJBk9DA
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) February 24, 2017
Collins is widely presumed to be the favorite to win the Tigers’ center field job (at least as the strong side of a platoon), but questions about his ability to handle the position defensively remain. He could use the extra reps to gain comfort at the position and prove his capability to the club.
Woodbery notes that Collins could serve as a designated hitter or pinch hitter while the strain heals, but one is left to wonder if a lat injury could affect him at the plate as well.
In his absence, the Tigers will apparently give Anthony Gose every opportunity to succeed. Gose will start in center in Friday’s Grapefruit League opener. General manager Al Avila told Chris McCosky last week that he thinks Gose still has untapped potential.
"“Anthony Gose is a very talented young man and he’s only 26 years old,” general manager Al Avila said last month. “The reason we are bringing him back to spring training is we feel like, at his age, he still has the ability to reach his potential."
Gose turning into the player the Tigers thought he could be when they traded for him two years ago would be the club’s best case answer to their center field void, but a sudden turnaround looks unlikely after last season’s struggles. He hit just .203/.276/.312 in 379 combined plate appearances in AA and AAA in 2016.
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Collins’ injury setback is not likely to affect his position on the team. He’s out of minor league options and could serve well as a fourth outfielder off the bench if he doesn’t win time in center field.