NEW YORK – Wait a second. This is strange.
Where the heck is Riley Greene?
The Tigers released their lineup for the opener of a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Monday, June 29, and Greene’s name was stunningly absent.
Greene has played in 84 straight games for the Tigers – the only Detroit player to appear in every game this season.
But relax, Tigers fans. This workhorse of an outfielder is not hurt. He’s still available and he will be ready to pinch-hit.
“I’m always ready,” Greene said in the clubhouse.
Greene has started every game since April 17 against the Boston Red Sox. But he did get into that game, pinch-hitting for Matt Vierling.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch hinted that Greene could do the same against the Yankees.
“He’s gonna factor in at some point,” Hinch said. “He will not be shut down too long, but I’ve been targeting this day for a while in the middle of this stretch and just trying to freshen him up a little bit. Everybody deserves a day.”
While some bench players have perfected their pregame routine, Greene comes off the bench so infrequently that he doesn’t have a set routine.
“I just kind of wing it,” he said.
Kevin McGonigle, welcome to Yankee Stadium
Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle is getting ready to play in Yankee Stadium for the first time in his career.
And he spent some time Monday touring Monument Park, the spot behind the outfield fences where the Yankees honor all their great players.
What statue impressed him the most?
“Babe Ruth,” he said.
Which prompted Hinch to laugh. Hinch was impressed that a 21-year-old even knows who Babe Ruth is, without using a Google search.
“I should make him do a project on him,” Hinch joked. “He never got to do college assignments, so I might as well.”
Of course, Hinch would be a tough grader.
“There’s something unique and special about Yankee Stadium,” Hinch said. “The history, and the history within the game. Kevin being a northeastern kid, growing up idolizing a lot of different players, it’s got to be cool to walk into this building, and the mystique that comes with it, and then he’ll get to competitive Kevin pretty quickly, when the game starts.”
Close but not good enough
The Tigers are a disappointing 11-31 in games decided by two runs or less.
In many ways, it’s the story of this season: Close, but not good enough.
“I think it tells a different story than what our actual results are,” Hinch said. “We have had some good stretches, and we’ve had some tough close losses. … We feel like we have a good team, we feel like we have winnable games that are there for us. We obviously need to continue to push in that direction to get some desired results to get closer and closer to being back in it.”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Riley Greene sits for Detroit Tigers for first time in a while
Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
