William Olson: Everything you need to know

The Tigers placed Olson on the 60-day injured list Tuesday after he underwent a right shoulder labral repair Feb. 2 that will result in him missing the 2026 season. It was feared that Olson would not be ready for Opening Day, but it turned out to be worse than that. Near the end of the 2025 season, there was a hope that he could return for the postseason after hitting the injured list in July, but that did not come to fruition either. Prior to the Tigers announcing Olson's surgery, they signed Framber Valdez on Feb. 4 and Justin Verlander earlier Tuesday. Troy Melton is also an option to find time in the rotation with both Olson and Jackson Jobe (elbow) out.

Olson (shoulder) may not be healthy in time for Opening Day, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports. Olson sustained a right shoulder strain in July and was placed on the 60-day injured list with hopes of returning for the postseason, but that never came to fruition. A report from the end of January indicated Olson would likely be ready in time for spring training, but the Tigers got an update on Olson's status this week that put his availability for Opening Day in doubt. Olson has started 35 games over the last two seasons with Detroit. If he's not healthy to begin the 2026 season, Troy Melton would be the favorite to claim a rotation spot, with Keider Montero, Drew Anderson and Sawyer Gipson-Long also in the mix.

Olson is expected to be healthy for the start of spring training after getting shut down in late July due to a right shoulder strain, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. Olson missed the last two months of the 2025 regular season as well as Detroit's playoff run, but the righty started a throwing program in December and is trending in the right direction heading into 2026. Entering his fourth year in the majors, Olson has yet to surpass 112.1 innings, though he's also posted a sub-4.00 ERA each season, which gives a glimpse at what he's capable of when healthy. The 26-year-old figures to slot in behind Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty in the Tigers' rotation, and he could take a step forward in 2026 from a fantasy perspective if he's able to increase his workload.