Tigers uneasy after Torres exits early with right leg discomfort

DETROIT -- The swing from Gleyber Torres showed no sign of concern. The Tigers' second baseman connected with a Tanner Bibee fastball in his second at-bat Thursday night at Comerica Park and sent a line drive to straightaway center at 105.3 mph, the hardest-hit ball by either team during the Guardians’ 7-0 victory. It had a 67 percent hit probability, according to Statcast, but Cleveland center fielder Lane Thomas was in a good position to move a few steps to his right and track it down.

The sign of concern was that Torres barely got out of the batter’s box. He didn’t slip in the rainy conditions, but he also didn’t try to accelerate. After Thomas caught the liner for the final out of the third inning, Torres limped back toward the dugout and hobbled down the steps.

“When he came back, he said he felt a little something in his lower [right] leg,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We talked through sort of the pros and cons of going out there on defense. He thought he might be able to go back out on defense, and he was just uncomfortable enough that I just pulled him out of the game.”

The loss added injury to insult in the clash of American League Central contenders in their rematch from last year’s dramatic Division Series. It also added another injury concern to a team that seemed to be turning the corner on an injury-riddled early-season stretch. Matt Vierling could return this weekend after spending the last week and a half on a rehab assignment. Wenceel Pérez might not be far behind, and Parker Meadows just started a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland after a scary nerve issue in his upper right arm.

The good news for the Tigers is that the positional flexibility on their roster gives them options if Torres needs to go on the injured list. They don’t necessarily have to make a like-for-like move and bring up another middle infielder, such as bringing back Jace Jung or bringing up No. 6 prospect Hao-Yu Lee.

Andy Ibáñez replaced Torres in the field in the fourth inning, then Javier Báez shifted from center field to second base after Akil Baddoo pinch-hit for Ibáñez in the eighth inning. Zach McKinstry and Colt Keith, who started at third base and DH on Thursday, are also capable second basemen.

That flexibility helped Detroit fill Torres’ void after he went on the injured list with a left oblique strain at the end of March. Outfielder/DH Justyn-Henry Malloy was called up to fill the spot, and he has been with the team ever since, forging a valuable role against left-handed pitching. Detroit went 7-2 in Torres’ absence before he returned.

Of course, that was early in the season. Torres has become a critical cog in the Tigers' lineup since he returned, often batting first or second in the order. His steady, professional approach has been a valued asset on a younger club, and his 126 OPS+ entering Thursday trailed only Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter on the team. Torres has quietly been one of the top offensive performers during Detroit’s hot start, batting .277/.358/.426 with five home runs, 24 RBIs, four stolen bases and more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in 38 games.

With Vierling capable of playing center field, Detroit could conceivably bring him back and move Báez into a more regular infield role. Or Vierling could move to third base and McKinstry could move to second. Or, given how the Tigers rotate, they could do a little bit of both.

All of this, of course, is pending evaluation on how badly Torres is hurting.

“We'll get him evaluated,” Hinch said after the game. “He wasn't moving great tonight. I need to talk to the doctors and figure out the extent of what it is.”