The injured members of the Detroit Tigers gathered together for a watch party for the season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows, two of the Tigers’ everyday options who started the season on the injured list, invited the other players rehabbing to their house in Lakeland for steaks and pizza and watched the Tigers’ 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in the first game of the season.
“We are watching the boys play every night,” Vierling said. “Parker and I were living together down in Lakeland, staying up and watching the games. We had a little party for Opening Day. (Alex) Cobb was there, (José ) Urquidy and Wenceel (Pérez) and everybody.”
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Vierling, Meadows, Cobb and reliever Alex Lange were the injured Tigers members were back in Detroit, in the locker room at Comerica Park, ahead of Friday’s home opener against the Chicago White Sox.
Vierling, who suffered a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder during spring training, says he is progressing through his rehab assignments. He is going through all workouts besides throwing; he has completed work in the batting cage but has not faced live batting practice yet.
“(I am) doing everything but throwing,” Vierling said. “Six weeks is coming up soon. I will re-evaluate then with doctors and the training staff and we’ll hopefully move forward from there. But, everything is going good, everything is progressing well.”
Meadows was placed on the 60-day injured list right before the season. The center fielder suffered an injury to the musculocutaneous nerve in his right bicep during the first spring training game on a throw. Meadows will be on the injured list until at least May 26.
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He is still not cleared to throw. He is going through strength training every other day and running every day during his recovery process. He will see a specialist in two weeks to assess his progress.
“It’s definitely tough and frustrating just because there’s nothing really to do to speed up the process,” Meadows said. “Nerves work slowly so just being patient with it and coming in every day with a positive mindset.”
Alex Cobb: Bullpen session on Saturday
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The right-handed Cobb signed with the Tigers on a one-year contract in free agency to bolster the pitching rotation. He has not pitched yet for the Tigers after suffering right hip inflammation ahead of spring training.
Cobb will throw a bullpen session on Saturday and a live batting practice early next week. The 37-year-old starter expects to begin with rehab starts in the minor leagues before he pitches for the Tigers.
He is excited to witness his first home opener in Detroit.
“I’m just excited to be back with the team,” Cobb said. “It’s always weird sitting at home watching on TV and feeling like you should be there.”
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Gleyber Torres update
The team announced second baseman Gleyber Torres, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with on oblique strain suffered in the first series, will do defensive drills and conditioning over the weekend. Pérez received a second scheduled cortisone shot Friday for his back inflammation. Right-handers Ty Madden and Sawyer Gipson-Long will also throw a bullpen session Saturday.
Manager A.J. Hinch said it is important to have some of the injured members of the team around completing their rehab when possible, while balancing the requirements of managing the roster for each game.
“We do want as many of our guys around as we can,” Hinch said. “We can’t just turn this into the rehab center either because we got to deal with the game at hand and the guys that are healthy.
“So what you’ll see is guys float through here. When they are here, they are here for a reason. It’s all individual.”
Jared Ramsey covers sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers injury updates: Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows waiting to resume throwing
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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