Tigers should take note from AL Central rival and protect Riley Greene come 2024

As the season draws to a close in Detroit, Tigers fans continue to wait and see if outfielder Riley Greene will appear again this season. The latest news coming out of Comerica Park on Wednesday is that Greene continues to seek opinions on his right elbow. He hurt his elbow while making a diving catch back on Sept. 1 against the White Sox. He was placed on the IL the following day.

"I'm going to get some further evaluation and go from there," said Greene while speaking to the media on Wednesday. "I feel like you can't have enough opinions, just to be sure on things, so that's what we're going to do."

Amid the prevailing uncertainty, Tigers fans have reason for concern. Over his last two seasons, he has faced injury challenges—a broken right foot in 2022 and a stress fracture in his left leg this year. In 2023, Greene is batting .288 with an on-base percentage of .349 and a slugging percentage of .447. Over 99 games, he has hit 11 home runs and driven in 37 runs, making him arguably the best player the Tigers have drafted in recent years, all at the age of 22.

Recently, Greene was shifted to left field to accommodate Parker Meadows. One of Meadows' strong points as a prospect is his defensive prowess. In a short span, he has a Fielding Run Value of plus three, according to Statcast metrics that measure a player's defensive performance. While Greene's defense isn't a liability, the new arrangement appears to offer Detroit the best defensive alignment based on current personnel.

So how should Detroit keep Greene out in the field?

Detroit heading into the 2023 season was challenged enough as far as outfield depth was concerned. Outside of Meadows, the farm system does not have any true centerfield prospects above Double and Triple-A that could be counted on as a replacement. Wenceel Perez, who is on the 40-man roster and until this season, an infielder, has seen time in center in the minors.

Detroit has maintained this approach, with Ryan Kreidler and Trei Cruz, traditionally infielders, also seeing time in center field. The Tigers recently drafted Max Clark as the future center fielder, although it's too soon to determine when he'll make his debut at Comerica Park. The overall picture in all three spots in the outfield across the minor league system is the potential for more corner spots.

The emergence of Justice Bigbie this season gives Detroit a possible development win if he can continue the path similar to Kerry Carpenter. Both he and Bigbie were drafted in the 19th round by Detroit, and Carpenter has been one of the Tigers best players this season. He has put up a 2.3 WAR, batting .290 with 20 home runs and a OPS+ of 132.

Returning to the issue of keeping Greene on the field, Detroit could look at how the Minnesota Twins have managed their star outfielder, Byron Buxton. Despite Buxton's recent setback—receiving a cortisone injection in his right knee on Sunday—the Twins still plan to play him.

As of the 2023 season, the Twins' strategy for keeping Buxton healthy involved limiting him to designated hitter duties. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli even acknowledged earlier this summer that Buxton is physically unable to play in the field. The most games Buxton has played in a single season was 140 back in his third year, 2017, when he also won a Gold Glove for his performance in center field. His numbers this season have dipped, with a batting average of just .207. Whether the decline is due to nagging injuries that have plagued him throughout the season is unclear, but it's worth noting that he signed a long-term deal in 2021 that includes a no-trade clause.

Heading into 2024, Detroit's internal options may not fully replace what Greene brings to the field. However, the Tigers should heed medical advice to ensure that Greene is fully fit before returning to play. They'll want to avoid the situation the Twins are currently facing, which involves uncertainty about what version of Buxton they can expect on a daily basis. Ensuring Greene's health could be crucial for consistent performance and long-term success.

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