Detroit Tigers place Riley Greene on 10-day injured list with right hamstring strain
Entering spring training, Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene set a goal to stay healthy for the entire 2024 season.
The 23-year-old endured exactly 101 games — not including the first All-Star Game of his three-year MLB career — before suffering his fourth injury in the past three seasons.
The Tigers placed Greene on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right hamstring strain, his second leg injury in the past 14 months. To replace Greene, the Tigers called up outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Toledo.
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"Right hammy strain," Greene said. "It's Grade 1 or 2, whatever it is. It could have been worse, and I'm glad it's not. There's really no timeline behind it. It's just kind of based on how I'm feeling, and just go from there."
Greene has a history of leg issues.
He was on the injured list last season from May 31-July 8 with a left fibula stress reaction.
"It sucks," said Greene, who received treatment for his hamstring strain before Friday's game. "I want to be out there with the boys and help them win games, but it's part of it. One of my goals was not to get hurt, and I did. It happens. My spirit is still high. It's just time to get after it."
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Greene felt discomfort in his right leg Monday, the Tigers' fourth game since returning from the All-Star break. He sat out Tuesday to rest it, then returned to the lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday and Thursday. Greene went 0-for-10 with six strikeouts in the three games he played.
After Thursday's game, he underwent tests on his leg.
"The tests revealed a small strain in his right hamstring," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Despite him being able to do some things, we have to protect him. We're going to put him on the injured list and see if some time off can mend this faster than trying to work through it."
The right hamstring strain in late July 2024 marks Greene's fourth injury in three seasons, along with a right foot fracture in April 2022, a left fibula stress reaction in May 2023 and a right elbow sprain in September 2023. Two of those injuries — the foot fracture and the elbow sprain — required surgery.
Limited by injuries, Greene played 93 games in 2022, 99 games in 2023 and 101 games so far in 2024. He is one of the best players in baseball when healthy.
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This season, Greene is hitting .264 with 17 home runs, 51 walks and 109 strikeouts.
It has been the best season of his three-year MLB career.
"It makes me sick to my stomach because he's having such a good year," said fellow outfielder Kerry Carpenter, who has been on the injured list since late May with a lumbar spine stress fracture. "He just can't seem to find any luck with staying off the IL, so I feel sick for him. Clearly, he does everything like a professional, so he'll come back better than ever, like he has before."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers place Riley Greene on 10-day injured list (hamstring)
