The Detroit Tigers have struggled immensely this season. Expectations of pushing for the postseason have significantly cooled off after more bad showings in the last few months. Injuries have also plagued the team, forcing Detroit to play players who may not be quite ready for the majors yet.
However, the team looks to get a significant boost. The Tigers announced they would call up top prospect Riley Greene before Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers.
Tigers manager AJ Hinch told reporters Friday that the team had been debating whether to bring Greene to the Majors, but the decision was ultimately made for them.
Outfielder Austin Meadows tested positive for COVID-19, meaning he'll go to the COVID Injured List. Meadows, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays days before Opening Day, has also missed time this season with vertigo. He has zero home runs and 11 RBI in 128 at-bats this season.
The acquisition of Meadows was fueled, in part, by the injury that caused Greene to miss the first few months of the season. The 21-year-old fouled a ball off his foot in a Spring Training game against the New York Yankees, causing a fracture in his foot.
Before the injury, Greene was a near certainty to make the Tigers roster as it occurred a little less than a week until the team went north for the start of the season. Hence, the acquisition of Meadows.
Greene only recently began playing again following the injury. He started his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo not too long ago and has played 15 games for the Mud Hens.
With Toledo, he's hit .274 with one long ball and six RBI. The 21-year-old outfielder also played two games at Single-A Lakeland and hit .333 with two RBIs and a walk across those two appearances.
First things first, Greene debuts Saturday against the Rangers. His arrival at Comerica Park will certainly be met with much fanfare. The former fifth overall pick has long been considered one of baseball's top prospects. Some in the baseball world even rate him higher than the former first pick, Spencer Torkelson.
That would be enough to excite a fanbase. However, the Tigers currently sit fourth in the American League Central with a 24-39 record. They also have the worst offense in all of baseball, averaging a league-worst 2.68 runs per game. All of this combined creates a perfect storm of hype.
However, Hinch is confident his young outfielder can handle it all. "It's going to be fun," Hinch told the media via MLive. "He'll have as much energy tomorrow as he's probably ever had in his life."
And Hinch made one thing crystal clear: Greene will see plenty of playing time. "One thing I'm not going to do is have him come up here and sit," Hinch said. "He's going to play."
