Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (elbow) is tentatively scheduled to serve as the designated hitter on Monday for the Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. He'll then return to the outfield on Tuesday. Greene is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right (non-throwing elbow) last September. He took live batting practice earlier this week and "didn't even think about my arm." The 23-year-old should be fully healthy by Opening Day and will be the Tigers' starting center fielder again in 2024. There is a bit of swing and miss to his game, but Greene still managed to hit a strong .288/.349/.447 with 11 home runs, 37 RBI, seven stolen bases and 51 runs scored in 378 at-bats in 2023 before being shut down with his elbow injury. He's a solid No. 3 outfield target with upside in fantasy drafts.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) suffered a mild left-hamstring strain while doing baserunning drills in camp on Thursday. He will complete rehab daily and progress back to baseball activities as tolerated. Carpenter's injury isn't very serious, but he's going to be held out of at least the first couple Grapefruit League games this weekend and into early next week. The 26-year-old is on the fantasy radar as a No. 4 or 5 outfielder in 2024 after hitting .278/.340/.471 with an .811 OPS, 20 home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 64 RBI, six stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 118 games in his first full big-league season in 2023. However, he had a prolonged power outage late in the year and struggled to hit left-handers as a left-handed hitter, which could leave him open to a platoon situation in Detroit's outfield eventually.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize said on Thursday that he's getting around 18 inches of induced vertical break compared to around 15 inches in the past on his fastball. "We just think the fastball up can be more of a weapon," Mize said. The fastball should pair well with his splitter, but Mize also talked about pairing it with his curveball. It could make all of the 26-year-old pitcher's offerings more effective, especially his fastball up in the zone. Fantasy managers should have tempered expectations for Mize in 2024, though, as he hasn't pitched in a big-league game since April of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. The former first overall pick in 2018 still has plenty of upside if he can stay healthy, but we don't expect him to throw more than 140-150 innings this year.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (elbow) faced live pitching in camp on Tuesday for the first time since last September. "I didn't even think about my arm. I feel normal...I wasn't nervous. I wasn't breathing hard. I was just ready to get in the box," Greene said. His 2023 season ended early due to Tommy John surgery, but the fact that it was to his right (non-throwing) arm means that Greene isn't facing restrictions at spring training and should be ready to go for Opening Day in 2024. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter could be eased into the Grapefruit League schedule this spring, but he should be good to go for fantasy managers on Opening Day as an upside No. 3 outfielder as Detroit's starting center fielder.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal hit 100 mph on his fastball on his last pitch during his live batting practice session in spring training on Tuesday. Skubal's velocity was on the rise last year in his first season back from flexor-tendon surgery in August of 2022, and his increased velocity early in camp just shows that he's fully healthy entering the 2024 regular season. The 27-year-old southpaw shouldn't be expected to be hitting triple digits often over the course of the season. Skubal finished 2023 by going 4-1 with a 1.25 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 52 strikeouts and six walks in his final six starts. The former ninth-round pick in 2018 should see an innings boost in 2024 if he stays healthy, making him a popular target in fantasy drafts this spring as a SP2 with upside in the weak American League Central.