Detroit Tigers

Jack Flaherty

SP

Making his first appearance in seven weeks, Flaherty threw only 19 pitches in the outing, so he will likely make at least one more rehab start before rejoining the Tigers' rotation. The veteran right-hander has been sidelined since late July due to right forearm flexor inflammation.

Matt Vierling

CF

Vierling initially landed on the IL on July 31 due to a left adductor strain. He then suffered a heel injury in late August, and the pair of issues will result in Vierling being ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. He could theoretically return for the playoffs, but that might be a moot point with Detroit currently 6.5 games back of a wild-card spot.

Kerry Carpenter

RF

The Tigers haven't officially confirmed whether Carpenter did in fact have his boot removed, but assuming that came to pass, the 28-year-old could be ready to start ramping up his baseball activities again. Carpenter has been on the shelf since July 27 due to left foot plantar fasciitis and appeared to be in line to come back from the injured list during the second half of August before a setback ended up pushing back his return date.

Wenceel Perez

RF

Manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Perez's vision is not yet back to normal after initially suffering an orbital fracture June 16 when an exercise band snapped back and hit Perez in the eye. During his rehab assignment, Perez went 0-for-12 at the plate with a sacrifice fly and six strikeouts. It appears he's looking at an extended absence.

Will Vest

RP

Vest had already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season after previously undergoing elbow surgery to address a stress fracture. He's now looking at dual rehabs and is expected to be sidelined for several months. When available this season, the 31-year-old Vest recorded a 6.08 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB across 26.2 innings.

Justin Verlander

SP

Verlander has yet to log a true bullpen session since suffering a setback during his last mound session June 17, but Wednesday's round of throwing still marks progress from playing catch. It's unclear how far he is from getting back to throwing traditional bullpen sessions, but he'll likely have to do so within the next couple of weeks to have a chance to build up his workload and make a few more starts in what will be his final season in Major League Baseball.

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.

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.