Riley Greene slump: What’s going on with Detroit Tigers outfielder
Mark and Freep Sports reporter Jared Ramsey analyze Riley Greene’s current slump and why the underperformance seems more unusual.
- The Tigers swept a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, extending their winning streak to seven of nine games.
- The Detroit Tigers’ 12-3 home record is their best start at Comerica Park since 1911.
- Despite the strong start, manager A.J. Hinch emphasizes focusing on the process and continuous improvement.
The 2025 Detroit Tigers have already accomplished a feat no other Tigers team has done over the last 114 years.
After taking both games in Saturday’s split doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, the Tigers moved to 12-3 in games played at Comerica Park this season. It is the best Tigers start at home since the 1911 Tigers, led by MVP winner Ty Cobb, won 12 of their first 15 games played at Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull (in the park’s final season before Navin Field, which would become Briggs Stadium and later Tiger Stadium, opened at the same location).
The Tigers (17-10) reached that home record by holding on for a 4-3 win over the Orioles in the first game and a 6-2 win in the second powered by multi-RBI hits from Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. The Tigers have won three straight series and seven of nine games, with a chance at a series sweep Sunday.
Despite the rousing numbers depicting their strong start, manager A.J. Hinch remains focused on the process that has led them here.
“We love where we are at, but it doesn’t get us anywhere,” Hinch said. “It just tells us where we are at this moment. Our guys are really, really focused on, ‘How do you win a series?’ Tomorrow is, ‘How do you sweep the series?’ We get to go on a plane tomorrow, we got to go on the road trip.
“I mean, we are built to run the full race and we aren’t even barely a month into this. So, we are going to stay grounded. We are going to keep riding these guys and trying to get better. There are a lot of areas we can get better and so I just refuse to look at the big picture and these dates and these records.”
All of the core tenets of the Tigers’ strong start were on display in Saturday’s doubleheader.
The strength of the pitching staff was evident in the first game after another solid start from Casey Mize, who gave up one run across 5⅓ innings to move to 4-1 on the year with a 2.12 ERA. The Tigers used the strong start to maintain an early lead before gaining a crucial insurance run from Torkelson, who continued his strong play with a solo home run, his eighth of the season.
In the second game, the Tigers took a two-run lead thanks to Greene’s three-run home run while Keider Montero, called up from Triple-A Toledo, showcased the depth of Detroit’s starting pitching with a performance that maintained the lead. Torkelson delivered another big hit on a two-RBI double and Zach McKinstry, the Tigers’ super-utility fielder, drove in a run, threw out a runner at home and made a last-second catch to prevent an extra-base hit late in left field.
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“Z-Mac is a little bit of a magnet too because the throw he made when he got the ball down the line — I don’t know how many guys make that,” Hinch said. “As an infielder, he is really quick. He got a lot on it, threw it online and we made the nice play. He is such a trustworthy defender in any position.”
McKinstry’s defense has been valuable for the Tigers as they deal with a growing injured list. Originally an infielder, McKinstry has primarily played corner outfield in 2025 as the Tigers wait for Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, Wenceel Pérez and Manuel Margot to return from their respective injuries.
“We have key guys who are playing, too,” Hinch said. “Like the replacement guys for guys that have been hurt are really key. And we say all the time we are going to need all of them. We are going to need a ton of guys and they are responding with a lot of good baseball.”
While serving as Hinch’s ideal defender, McKinstry is hitting .325 with a .433 on-base percentage and 13 RBIs and showing an improved ability to hit left-handed pitching after primarily being used against righties so far with the Tigers.
“This team just keeps going,” McKinstry said. “It’s like everybody every other day. It’s cool. It is not just one guy, it is a lot of guys doing a lot of good things.”
After driving in three runs across both games, Torkelson is now up to eight homers — he had a solo shot in Game 1 — and 24 RBIs. Both leading the Tigers in his turnaround season. After fighting for his roster spot in spring training, he has become one of the roster’s most important bats. He also prevented a run in the first game with a throw home on a ground ball, which Hinch said showcased his evolution so far this season.
“That instinctive play is an indicator of him just playing with some freedom and playing with the right balance of know-how and execution.”
In the second game, Greene hit his first home run since April 4, snapping a string of “really bad” at-bats as he described it, to secure another series win in the Tigers’ “fun” first month of 2025.
“It’s fun,” Greene said. “We have some guys that are still banged up and once they come back, it’s gonna be better. We are just going to continue to have fun and have fun with the people we got and just keep playing the game we want to play.”
Jared Ramsey covers sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
