For the Tigers, help is on the way.
Riley Greene will be back in action this weekend for the first time since fracturing his foot toward the end of spring training. The No. 2 overall prospect in baseball, who was slated to be the Tigers' Opening Day center fielder, is starting a rehab assignment on Friday with Single-A Lakeland.
Assuming all goes well, it won't be long before Greene is elevated to Triple-A Toledo, where he tore the cover off the ball last summer. And from there, his next stop will be Detroit.
But don't hold you breath. The Tigers will be careful not to rush Greene's rehab, even as their lineup aches for his bat.
"I’m not going to give a timeline," A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game against Cleveland. "I know everyone is focused on Riley, we got 26 guys on this club who are trying to play. It’s important for the organization for the young players to play. It’s more important for us to focus up here and let him mend. When and if he’s ready to come, great, just like any young prospect. But we're just glad he’s playing."
The 21-year-old Greene ravaged minor league pitching last season. And he was the Tigers' best hitter this season in spring training, batting .429 with seven extra-base hits in 11 games. He was more than ready for the bigs. Then he fouled a Gerrit Cole fastball off his foot -- before tripling off the four-time All-Star moments later -- and landed on the shelf.
The Tigers have missed him. Badly. They are last in the majors in runs scored. They've also hit the fewest home runs. They've been particularly poor against right-handed pitching. The lefty-hitting Greene can't get here soon enough, but the Tigers won't summon him until he's ready.
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