Vierling (rotator cuff) to miss Opening Day for Tigers

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff muscle and will not be available until after Opening Day, manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday¡¯s Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

It adds to a problematic spring in the Tigers¡¯ outfield. The status of Parker Meadows is still being evaluated with what was described as inflammation in his right upper arm. Meanwhile, Akil Baddoo is out for the remainder of camp after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured wrist.

Hinch said Vierling will undergo ¡°a period of rest¡¯¡¯ before being re-evaluated and hopefully reintroduced to baseball activities.

¡°From what I understand, there wasn¡¯t a singular event that created this,¡¯¡¯ Hinch said. ¡°It was just lingering soreness to the point where we needed to intervene and get him looked at. It revealed the strain. So it wasn¡¯t like a play or a swing or a slide or a throw or anything like that.¡¯¡¯

Vierling, 28, played in a career-high 144 games in his second season with the Tigers in 2024 while batting .257 with 16 home runs and a .735 OPS.

Even with Vierling¡¯s availability in question, Hinch said he¡¯s ¡°comfortable with the depth we have¡¯¡¯ in the outfield. Hinch mentioned Wenceel Perez, Jahmai Jones and Zach McKinstry as players who can fill in, while also allowing for some infielders to assume some outfield duty if needed.