Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling (8) celebrates after the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 3 of the 2024 American League Division Series in Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers reinstated utilityman Matt Vierling from the injured list before Friday’s game at Comerica Park.
Left-handed reliever Sean Guenther was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to create a roster spot for Vierling.
The swap gives the Tigers a five-man bench — at least for one night. Right-hander Casey Mize is expected to be activated Saturday to start, and his return could push a position player off the roster.
Vierling played in only two spring training games before suffering a strained rotator cuff, one of four injuries to impact the Tigers’ outfield plans this spring. Akil Baddoo underwent surgery to repair a fractured wrist; Parker Meadows had a nerve issue in his right upper arm; and Wenceel Pérez battled recurring back issues.
Baddoo and Vierling are now healthy. Meadows and Pérez aren’t far behind.
“Just seeing how well the boys are doing, you want to be a part of it,” Vierling said Friday. “Three months felt like three years.”
Vierling, 28, played in a career-high 144 games in his second season with the Tigers in 2024. He hit .257 with a .735 OPS (107 OPS+) and had 28 doubles, five triples and 16 home runs in 567 plate appearances. He also won the annual “Good Guy Award” presented by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers of America.
Defensively, Vierling can contribute at all three outfield positions and has also worked to become a viable option at third base. He’ll likely do a bit of everything once up to speed, giving manager A.J. Hinch another multi-positional option alongside Zach McKinstry, Javier Báez and Andy Ibáñez.
“We’re not going to start drawing out a full road map for him yet. We have to be aware that he’s coming off the injured list,” Hinch said. “We’re getting closer and closer to the very versatile team we were hoping to have. Our guys have done a really good job, but adding Matty to the mix is a big upgrade.”
Vierling spent 19 days on a rehab assignment, primarily with Triple-A Toledo. But he and other injured outfielders also traveled to Lakeland, Fla., this week to ensure their progress wasn’t hampered by rain in the Midwest.
Vierling was kept busy at the hot corner in Lakeland, helping him pass the final rehab test.
“I had nine plays in one game, so yeah, I feel pretty damn confident,” Vierling said with a laugh. “I know there will be a little bit of growing pains, but I’m in a good spot.”
The long absence stemmed from what Vierling initially thought were minor aches and pains associated with the early days of spring training.
“(The diagnosis) kind of shocked me, to be honest,” Vierling said. “The first month didn’t really bother me, probably because it was still spring training. But once the boys started playing real games, it started to get pretty tough. You just keep working and fighting through those times and know eventually you’ll get back up here.”
Guenther, 29, went 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in 21 innings down the stretch for the Tigers in 2024. In the seventh inning of Game 2 of the Wild Card Series at Houston, he got Kyle Tucker to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end a threat, perhaps the most consequential outs of the series.
He’s had more mixed results in 2025, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in 10 1/3 innings.
TIGERS’ 40-MAN ROSTER (38)
Left-handed pitchers (5): Sean Guenther, Tyler Holton, Bailey Horn, Brant Hurter, Tarik Skubal.
Right-handed pitchers (16): John Brebbia, Beau Brieske, Alex Cobb*, Jack Flaherty, Jason Foley**, Brenan Hanifee, Jackson Jobe, Tommy Kahnle, Chase Lee, Matt Manning, Tyler Mattison**, Casey Mize*, Keider Montero, Reese Olson*, Tyler Owens, Will Vest.
Catchers (2): Dillon Dingler, Jake Rogers.
Infielders (9): Javier Báez, Jace Jung, Andy Ibáñez, Colt Keith, Ryan Kreidler, Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres.
Outfielders (6): Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Brewer Hicklen, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Matt Vierling.
*On 10-day or 15-day injured list
**On minor-league injured list
Right-handed pitchers Alex Lange (right lat strain and surgery), Sawyer Gipson-Long (Tommy John surgery and hip), José Urquidy (Tommy John surgery) and Ty Madden (rotator cuff strain); and outfielders Parker Meadows (right upper arm inflammation) and Wenceel Pérez (lower back inflammation) are on the 60-day injured list and do not count against the 40-man roster.
