Detroit Tigers

Wenceel Perez

RF

Perez suffered a left orbital fracture June 16, when he struck himself below the eye with an exercise band while participating in a pregame workout. He's been cleared to start a rehab assignment, and if all goes well in the minors, then Perez should be back with the Tigers by mid-August. He had a .594 OPS with three steals, seven home runs and 17 RBI over 175 plate appearances prior to his injury.

Will Vest

RP

Vest was placed on the 15-day injured list July 1 with what was initially diagnosed as right elbow inflammation. However, further tests revealed a stress fracture in the right elbow that required surgery, and with a hip procedure on tap, the veteran reliever will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 campaign. Vest will end his season with a 6.08 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, seven holds, two saves (in seven chances) and a 27:10 K:BB across 26.2 innings.

Matt Vierling

CF

Vierling tweaked his adductor during Wednesday's game against the Orioles. The injury is severe enough for him to go on the IL, and the Tigers will have a better sense of Vierling's return timeline once he's cleared to resume baseball activities. Max Clark's contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move, and the 21-year-old outfielder will make his major-league debut against the Athletics on Friday.

Jack Flaherty

SP

The right-hander landed on the shelf last week due to right forearm inflammation and has already improved after receiving some treatment, but he apparently remains shut down from throwing. Flaherty will be eligible to be reinstated next, but he can be safely ruled out until at least mid-August. Until he starts throwing again, the 31-year-old likely won't have a clear timetable for his return.

Kerry Carpenter

RF

The 28-year-old landed on the injured list Monday with left foot plantar fasciitis and didn't waste much time before getting treatment. Plantar fasciitis often carries a lengthy recovery timeline, but it's possible Carpenter's situation is more of an issue of pain tolerance, at least in the short term.

Jackson Jobe

SP

Jobe is now four starts into his rehab assignment and has thus far looked sharp in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB in 11.1 innings across stops with three affiliates. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic

Brant Hurter

RP

Hurter is working his way back from lumbar spine inflammation, which has kept him on the shelf since May 24. He's eligible to come off the 60-day injured list at any time but will need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being reinstated.

Burch Smith

RP

Smith was making his second rehab appearance after missing nearly two months with right shoulder inflammation, so it's a worrisome setback. More should be known about the reliever's condition in the coming days.

Bailey Horn

RP

Horn has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from an arthroscopic procedure he underwent on his left elbow during the offseason. He was cleared to begin throwing in late May, but progress in his recovery has been slow, so he'll go under the knife once again to address the issue. He'll officially miss the entire 2026 campaign as a result, and the timing of his surgery makes it likely that he'll miss most, if not all, of the 2027 season as well.

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).

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.

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.

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.