HOUSTON – Gleyber Torres is on the injured list.
Again.
It’s a left oblique strain.
Again.
The Detroit Tigers placed Torres on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, June 17, retroactive to Tuesday, before the finale of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, which is how the Tigers opened a spot for right-hander Casey Mize to return from the injured list.
“It’s a new injury in the same region of his previous injury,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Wednesday’s game. “Obviously, it’s all related in there. It’s frustrating for him and for us that the area continues to be an issue for him, so he’ll be down.”
Torres isn’t eligible to return to the Tigers until June 26.
Expect him to miss more time than that.
The 29-year-old previously suffered a left oblique strain May 2 and didn’t return until June 2, missing one month – only to suffer the same injury two weeks after returning to the Tigers.
“I don’t know the extent of it in terms of timeline or length,” Hinch said. “Maybe the fact that it’s better now than his first one was now, it gives us some hope that it’s short term. But I’m just not sure right now.”
It’s the second repeat injury for the Tigers in 2026.
Aside from Torres, Mize spent two stints on the injured list with a right adductor strain, sidelined for 17 days (April 29-May 16) and 19 days (May 29-June 17). This time, Mize has returned as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the Astros.
The Tigers have a 23-20 record when he plays.
They’re 7-23 without him.
“It’s a tiring broken record,” Hinch said. “We would love to have everybody at full strength, and we’re not. The guys here need to step up. But our reality is what it is, so we can’t pout about it. I’m at a loss of how to describe it, but we can’t be lost in trying to deal with it – because it’s where we’re at.”
In 2026, Torres – a three-time All-Star in his nine-year MLB career – is hitting .280 with four home runs, 29 walks and 33 strikeouts across 43 games. He has registered plus-six defensive runs saved over 296⅔ innings as the everyday second baseman.
Torres has a .395 on-base percentage, which ranks eighth among 204 MLB players with at least 190 plate appearances.
That’s why he is one of the Tigers’ best players.
Without Torres, the Tigers will turn to Hao-Yu Lee, Zach McKinstry and Colt Keith for coverage at second base, with Lee lined up to get the most playing time while he recovers.
“We’re going to have to sort it out as we go,” Hinch said. “I do like the way Lee has looked more comfortable in these first few days in his second stint in the big leagues. He can play every day. We’ll continue to chip away at how I put it together.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers’ Gleyber Torres on injured list with oblique strain − again
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
