It has been a miserable season for the Detroit Tigers. But Friday brought some news that could have the Tigers and their fans something to look forward to.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Riley Greene — baseball’s second-ranked prospect — is being called up and will make his Major League debut for the Tigers in Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers.
Outfielder Riley Greene, arguably the best prospect in baseball, will be called up to join the Detroit Tigers tomorrow. He'd have made the Opening Day roster had he not broken his right foot on the eve of the season. He's healthy now, and he'll be their full-time center fielder.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 17, 2022
The news of his pending arrival was welcomed with positivity.
Some reason for excitement amid a Tigers season that’s had very little of it so far. https://t.co/wvSXcHQjnl
— Evan Dean (@_EvanDean) June 17, 2022
Makes me so happy to see https://t.co/3GDDBRvzf1
— Andrew (@andrewwxlv) June 17, 2022
https://t.co/2wz0jGuo6h pic.twitter.com/h1J2h4lqI0
— Ewok_Baseball (@Baseball_Ewok) June 17, 2022
Love this move by the #Tigers! Let him finish his development in the big leagues.
For Fantasy Baseball players – he’s a pickup in all leagues due to the upside. Good power/speed combo! https://t.co/HVYQByXBNh
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) June 17, 2022
— Cat Garcia 🐈⬛ (@bycatgarcia) June 17, 2022
How long Greene will be with Detroit remains to be seen. This promotion comes because Austin Meadows tested positive for COVID-19. So, it’s certainly possible that Greene will be back in the minors once Meadows is cleared to return.
But we wouldn’t call that a foregone conclusion. As Passan noted, Greene was likely going to make Detroit’s Opening Day roster if healthy.
The foot injury has limited Greene’s time in Minor League Baseball this season. In 17 games between the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, he’s hit .279/.347/.382 with one home run and four stolen bases. In 2021, Greene hit .301/.387/.534 with 24 home runs and 16 steals while splitting time between the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and Toledo.
Greene doesn’t have much more to prove in the minors. So, we’d guess that, even if there are some rookie hiccups, if Greene makes a decent showing for himself in Detroit, he will have a great chance to remain with the Tigers.
