Detroit Tigers

Will Vest

RP

Vest will not require surgery, but he remains without a clear timetable for return after he was initially placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation July 1. It's been an ugly 2026 season for the right-hander, as he's posted a 6.08 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB across 26.2 innings. His 3.41 FIP would suggest he's been extremely unlucky.

Jackson Jobe

SP

Pitching in a game for the first time since May 28, 2025, Jobe was eased back into action with a light workload coming off Tommy John surgery. He threw 32 pitches (24 strikes) en route to retiring four of the six batters he faced in the first appearance of what will likely be close to a month-long rehab assignment. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Jobe's rehab start was that he already seems to have recaptured his pre-surgery velocity; he topped out at 100.2 mph with his fastball, per MLB.com. In order to claim a spot in Detroit's rotation once he returns from the 60-day injured list, Jobe will need to show that he can maintain both velocity and command while he ups his pitch count during his subsequent minor-league outings.

Justin Verlander

SP

Verlander addressed his playing future in a statement after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced earlier Wednesday that the 43-year-old had been named a "Legend Pick" for the 2026 All-Star Game. The veteran right-hander will be present in Philadelphia next week after being selected to his 10th All-Star Game, but he won't be active for the exhibition while he remains on the 60-day injured list after sustaining a left hamstring injury during a June 17 bullpen session. Verlander -- who was placed on the shelf April 4 due to hip inflammation -- has since resumed playing catch, but he's without a clear timeline to return from the IL. He'll look to move past his injuries to make at least a few more appearances for Detroit before the end of the season as he closes the book on a 21-year Hall-of-Fame career. Verlander is the majors' active leader in games started (556), wins (266) and strikeouts (3,554).

Wenceel Perez

RF

It's the first time Perez has done any baseball activities since he fractured an orbital bone in mid-June. Perez still has a long way to go in his rehab, and he's not eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list until mid-August.

Gleyber Torres

2B

Though Torres has been able to take part in some activity since receiving a cortisone injection for his left oblique strain, his inability to start up a hitting progression nearly three weeks after landing on the shelf suggests that the Tigers will likely hold him out through the All-Star break. Torres previously missed a month of action earlier in the season with the same injury, and it wouldn't be surprising if he faces a longer recovery timeline this time around while the Tigers bring him along more slowly in his rehab.

Parker Meadows

CF

Meadows has been on the shelf since undergoing surgery April 13 to repair a radial fracture in his left forearm, which he sustained in a collision in the outfield. The 26-year-old appears to have made a full recovery from the concussion and mouth laceration that he also suffered in the collision, but due to the complex nature of his surgery, he remains limited to doing daily rehab while he waits for the fracture to heal. While Hinch indicated that Meadows hasn't hit any setbacks in the recovery process, a target date for the outfielder's return is unlikely to come into focus until he's able to take part in a full range of baseball activities.

Burch Smith

RP

The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Ben Malgeri, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo. Smith is in the midst of a throwing progression as he works his way back from right shoulder inflammation, but his move to the 60-day IL indicates that the Tigers weren't counting on him being ready to contribute out of the bullpen before the All-Star break. He'll be eligible for activation beginning July 21.

Javier Baez

SS

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver claim James Outman. Baez encountered a setback earlier this month with his right high-ankle sprain and remains shut down from baseball activities. He's now ineligible for activation until late June, but it seems unlikely Baez will be ready by then, anyway. A timeline for his return won't become clearer until he is able to ramp up activities again and eventually go out on a rehab assignment.

Trey Sweeney

SS

Sweeney was sidelined with a shoulder strain during spring training and has experienced minimal improvement over the last four months despite receiving injections. He'll now undergo arthroscopic surgery and miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign. Sweeney has a career .202/.261/.313 slash line with 10 home runs, 49 RBI, 47 runs scored, five stolen bases and a 33:124 BB:K across 445 plate appearances over the previous two seasons.

Brant Hurter

RP

Hurter was lifted from his most recent relief appearance in Friday's 7-4 win over the Orioles due to what manager A.J. Hinch had referred to as a back issue, and follow-up tests evidently confirmed that the lefty reliever was contending with lumbar inflammation. Detroit recalled right-hander Ricky Vanasco from Triple-A Toledo to replace Hurter on the active roster and in the bullpen.

Bailey Horn

RP

Horn received a cortisone shot in mid-April to combat discomfort in his left elbow, which he had scoped during the offseason. The injection appears to have done its job, but Horn could be ramped up slowly in his throwing program after the Tigers pulled him off his rehab assignment earlier this season. He'll eventually head back out on another rehab assignment and may need most of the 30-day window before Detroit brings him back from the 60-day injured list.

Reese Olson

SP

It was feared that Olson would not be ready for Opening Day, but it turned out to be worse than that. Near the end of the 2025 season, there was a hope that he could return for the postseason after hitting the injured list in July, but that did not come to fruition either. Prior to the Tigers announcing Olson's surgery, they signed Framber Valdez on Feb. 4 and Justin Verlander earlier Tuesday. Troy Melton is also an option to find time in the rotation with both Olson and Jackson Jobe (elbow) out.