The good news for the Detroit Tigers is that they’ve recently completed their first sweep in seven weeks, brooming aside the American League East Division-leading Tampa Bay Rays in three straight games and bringing some hope back to the franchise that had sunk to the bottom of their own division standings.
The bad news is that they’ve been anything but completely healthy this season, and on Friday, it was announced that they’re going to be without the services of a key infielder for the remainder of the 2026 MLB season after he underwent surgery.
The Detroit Tigers Announced Trey Sweeney Is Finished For The Rest Of The Season
Shortstop Trey Sweeney, who has yet to appear in a game so far this season, is undergoing season-ending right arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.
The news was first reported by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic:
“SS Trey Sweeney will also undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder,” Stavenhagen wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He is out for the season.”
Last season, Sweeney appeared in 118 games and recorded a .196 batting average with six home runs, 32 RBIs, and a .548 OPS.
Meanwhile, the biggest absence for the Tigers this season has been ace Tarik Skubal, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow on May 4 to remove a loose body. Almost immediately after his absence, the Tigers began a downward spiral that saw them only win six games in the month of May, sinking to the bottom of the division standings.
The Tigers have also not had veteran Justin Verlander, who has been sidelined since early April with left hip inflammation.
Additionally, the Tigers have shut out infielder Javier Báez from baseball activities.
The Detroit Tigers Have Been Anything But Healthy This Season
Not only has Sweeney not played this season for the Tigers, but they’ve also been without Tarik Skubal, Javier Báez, and Justin Verlander.
Earlier this week, Hinch indicated that Báez was shut down from baseball activities, as he wasn’t progressing as the
“Javy is going to need some time off,” Hinch said on Tuesday. “He’s just not progressing very quickly, and right now rest is still part of the equation.”
“We were starting to ramp him up and the symptoms were still there,” he continued. “High ankle sprains are really hard to deal with. Sometimes the symptoms linger longer than if he had broken it. But he’s not cleared for full activity. The specialist said the path we are on is good, it’s just slow.”
The Tigers have also not had Casey Mize and Gleyber Torres for long stretches this season.
Detroit Tigers Lose Infielder for Remainder of 2026