BALTIMORE – The Detroit Tigers continue to wait for the return of second baseman Gleyber Torres, but his left oblique strain has become a lingering issue.
The 29-year-old hasn’t played since May 2.
Torres, who remains on the 10-day injured list, is in the middle of four days off from swinging after experiencing a setback in a recent hitting progression.
“I got a couple of days off already,” Torres said Sunday, May 24, before a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. “The last time I tried to swing, I didn’t feel comfortable. We just want to get a few days off before getting back to swinging.”
Celebrate 125 years of Tigers with our book!
Before the injury, Torres hit .259 with two home runs, 25 walks and 22 strikeouts across 32 games, posting a .716 OPS. He shined as an on-base machine, with a .389 on-base percentage that ranked third on the Tigers.
From 2025-26, Torres ranks 16th in MLB with a .364 on-base percentage.
Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the impact of Torres’ absence from the lineup as run-scoring is the culprit of a brutal 17-game stretch with 15 losses.
“Everything changes when you lose someone of Gleyber’s presence, and we’ve got to overcome it,” Hinch said before Sunday’s games. “We need somebody to get hot or somebody to get on base a little bit more to create the good things in the absence of somebody as talented as Gleyber.”
Everyone thought the injury would only require a brief absence.
It didn’t take long for Torres to be cleared for running and defense activities, but swinging is the obstacle preventing his return to games, thus creating a long-than-expected absence.
“It kills me the way I’m not able to swing,” said Torres, who has watched the Tigers lose 15 of 18 games since his injury. “In the past, I played with pain. I know how it is. The oblique got me. It’s painful. I’m really frustrated.”
There’s a reason for the four-day rest period.
The Tigers (20-32 entering Sunday) hope Torres will be able to swing without any symptoms before Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park.
“We’re trying to figure out if I feel better after that,” Torres said.
There isn’t a timeline for Torres’ return.
When Torres returns to the Tigers will be determined by how his left oblique responds to swinging before Tuesday’s game – and if he doesn’t experience another setback, a rehab assignment could be coming soon.
“It’s not fully healed at the moment,” said Torres, who becomes a free agent in November 2026. “Hopefully, those four days off without swinging – back on Tuesday – gives my body time to heal. I’ll be ready, hopefully, next week.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Where is Gleyber Torres? Tigers 2B frustrated as oblique injury lingers
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
