The Detroit Tigers have the best record in Major League Baseball and enter the weekend leading the American League Central by 9 1/2 games, and they just got stronger.
Outfielder Matt Vierling has been battling shoulder issues since spring training, but he was reinstated ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Minnesota Twins, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.
Vierling missed 51 games at the start of the season after suffering a right rotator cuff muscle strain in Spring Training before returning for four games on May 23. Vierling would later head back to the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
Vierling is set to return to the field and play centerfield on Saturday for the Tigers after playing seven games with Triple-A Toledo in a rehab assignment. Vierling’s rehab assignment got a little sidetracked when the outfielder missed time with a stomach bug, but he is cleared to return to the Major League lineup.
The Tigers have been experimenting with multiple options at both third base and center field during Vierling’s absence, with Javier Baez getting the bulk of games in center and Zach McKinstry manning the hot corner.
With the trade deadline approaching, Vierling’s return could sway the balance in the area of the team that the Tigers decide to target first with many media outlets speculating they will try to move for a third baseman. Vierling and Baez could temper trade expectations for a new third baseman in the Motor City.
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