Detroit Tigers injury updates: Reese Olson still waiting; Matt Vierling gets injection
Reese Olson still isn't throwing his changeup.
Until he does, the Detroit Tigers won't activate him from the 15-day injured list.
"Taking a little longer than we would have liked," Olson said.
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The 25-year-old right-hander has been sidelined since May 18 with right ring finger inflammation , impacting his ability to throw his changeup. He is scheduled to complete another bullpen session Saturday, June 7, at Comerica Park. So far, he hasn't been able to use his changeup in bullpens.
"The people we talked to said a range of days," Olson said. "We were hoping it was going to be towards the front of that, but it's towards the middle."
Olson hopes to return to the Tigers soon.
He received an injection Monday, June 2, to treat the remaining inflammation in his finger.
"Just to kick the rest of that inflammation and get it out of there," Olson said.
He still feels irritation when he throws his changeup.
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"It's just a little bit irritated, kind of grabbing in there, kind of tugging a little bit the last time I threw the changeup," Olson said. "But everything else is feeling great. I feel like we're on the right track with this injection."
Olson has a 2.96 ERA with 19 walks and 51 strikeouts across 48⅔ innings in nine starts. He hasn't started since May 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays , which is when he suffered the injury to his right ring finger.
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Matt Vierling injected
Outfielder Matt Vierling received an injection Thursday, June 5, for right shoulder inflammation. The 28-year-old is expected to resume baseball activities — including throwing and hitting — within the next couple days.
Vierling has been injured for most of the last 100 days.
He suffered a rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder Feb. 23 in spring training. He returned to the Tigers on May 23 , but four days later, he reported shoulder soreness after appearing in four games.
The Tigers placed Vierling on the injured list again May 27, making him eligible to return Friday, June 6 — but that didn't happen.
It's unclear when Vierling will return.
Alex Cobb update
Right-hander Alex Cobb (right hip inflammation) made his second start of his rehabilitation assignment Friday with High-A West Michigan — exactly seven days after his first start.
The 37-year-old has been sidelined since before spring training due to a right hip injury .
Cobb, a 13-year MLB veteran, pitched in pain throughout his first rehab start — often grimacing at the end of his delivery when throwing breaking balls — but he managed to complete two scoreless innings on 24 pitches.
His body movements are concerning.
"It's something he has to deal with," manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's obvious that he's battling through a couple different things. We've got to keep pushing him forward. ... We're going to build him up to two or three innings and see how he responds to that, and then we can make a judgment on whether it was better than last week or worse than last week."
Kerry Carpenter returns to outfield
Kerry Carpenter started in right field for Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs, doing so for the first time since May 31. The 27-year-old has been dealing with right hamstring tightness, which scratched him from the starting lineup Wednesday, June 4, against the Chicago White Sox.
"I feel good about it. He feels good about it," Hinch said. "We're aware that the soreness that has been there is better than it was a couple days ago."
The Tigers are closely monitoring Carpenter's health.
Carpenter will be the designated hitter in Saturday's game, Hinch said, "which comes with a cost, too, because that means somebody has to sit that may normally not sit because of the way we move our guys around," referencing the logjam of Spencer Torkelson , Colt Keith and Gleyber Torres on the right side of the infield that typically requires one of them to serve as the designated hitter.
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 injury updates: Reese Olson still waiting; Matt Vierling gets injection
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