Riley Greene's breakout season is being put on hold. The Tigers announced Friday that their All-Star outfielder has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.
"It sucks," said Greene. "Obviously I want to be out there with the boys and help them win games. One of my goals (this year) was to not get hurt, and I did. It happens. Spirits are still high. Just time to get after (rehab)."
Greene was held out of Tuesday's game against the Guardians due to leg soreness, before returning to the lineup as the designated hitter for the final two games of the series. But he didn't look like himself in Cleveland, unable to use his legs while going 0-for-10 with six strikeouts.
After Greene got some testing, the Tigers decided an extended rest would be in everyone's best interests.
"That’s not me, I never feel like that in the box. I knew I wasn’t getting into my legs," said Greene. "Didn’t feel too good yesterday even when I wasn’t hitting, so I was like, maybe (a break) is a good idea."
In a corresponding move, Detroit recalled outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Toledo.
Greene, 23, has been dogged by injuries in his three seasons in Detroit. He missed the first two and a half months of 2022 when he fouled a ball off his foot and fractured it. Last year, he suffered a stress reaction in his left leg chasing down a fly ball that knocked him out for more than a month, then injured his right elbow making a diving catch that required Tommy John and ended his season a month early.
Greene changed trainers and workout regimens over the the winter, with an eye on staying healthy for the duration of this season. It worked for the first half of the year as he carried an .866 OPS into the All-Star break after playing in all but one of the Tigers' fist 97 games. Now he's back on the shelf.
Trying to stay positive, Greene said he's happy he and the Tigers caught the injury when they did. Hamstrings can be slow to heal, but Greene's strain is only grade 1 or 2, he said. That bodes well for his recovery.
"It could’ve been worse and I’m glad it’s not. There’s really no timeline behind it," he said. "It’s just based on how I’m feeling and go from there. I didn’t have a moment where I grabbed it like a typical hammy would be. Just on Monday, kind of felt it, didn’t think anything of it, and it’s this. It is what it is."