Detroit Tigers: Injury bug returning to create issues once again
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers continue on with their season and continue pushing towards a .500 record. A pretty lofty goal for a team that had the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. However, they have turned heads and really been able to turn things around in 2021.
However, the Detroit Tigers have dealt with obstacles, and the injury bug has returned. Injuries are piling up for the Tigers, who are shuffling players around to keep a healthy squad together. While the attention right now is on Miguel Cabrera and his 500th home run milestone, the hope for a .500 season is very real.
In 2021, the Tigers have played to a 56-60 record, which is just four games shy of .500 and leaves them just a game behind the Cleveland Indians, who are in second place in the American League (AL) Central. In his first season as skipper of the Tigers, A.J. Hinch has been able to show some real strides in the right direction.
That has not come without injury issues and adversity. In a recent contest with the Orioles, Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill had a nasty collision in the outfield that certainly did not help the team’s mounting injury woes.
The injury bug returned to the Detroit Tigers clubhouse.
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As it stands, the team has ten players on the Injured List (IL) for varying lengths. While some of those names are Julio Teheran and Spencer Turnbull, who are both out on long-term injuries, it’s still unsettling.
In fact, Turnbull is undergoing Tommy John Surgery, so the injury may not be something that happened in the last week, but it’s still a big-time injury.
Some of the newer additions to the injury list are Baddoo and Hill, who were mentioned above who are now each listed on the IL for seven and ten days, respectively.
Besides that, Matthew Boyd was shifted to the 60-day IL and will miss some more time than maybe was originally anticipated. Niko Goodrum is also headed to the IL as well in the flurry of recent moves.
Jake Rogers remains on the 10-day IL, along with José Ureña, Daz Cameron, and Isaac Paredes, who all are currently dealing with issues. It’s a mounting list, that’s for sure. The organization has already had to deal with a mass number of pitching injuries that had players missing time earlier in the year, but this time it seems like a large but sparatic group of injuries.
If the team really wants to eclipse the .500 mark and stay above it, these players getting called up are going to have to step up and provide. It’s players like Zach Short, who has been up and down in 2021, Jacob Robson, who just got his call-up, and Renato Nunez, who’s battled some adversity in 2021.
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These players that most may not have huge expectations for are going to become vital to the team for a week or so while they press on and try not to slip too far below the .500 mark. The end goal for 2021 has to be to eclipse .500, and with the injury bug back in town, it’s going to take more than it seems.