The Tigers have placed second baseman on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 29, due to a left oblique injury. Justyn-Henry Malloy is promoted from Triple-A Toledo in a comparable transaction.
Torres left Friday’s loss to the Dodgers in the sixth inning. He had suffered what the team initially described as rib tightness. Torres did not play in the next day’s series finale, and the staff clearly classified the side soreness as an oblique strain. The club has yet to indicate the severity. He’ll be out until at least next Tuesday, and there’s a good probability he’ll be sidelined for more than 10 days. Even minor oblique strains typically cost batters a few weeks.
On Friday, Javier Baez came off the bench to replace Torres. The Tigers shifted Colt Keith from first to second base for the next game. They moved Spencer Torkelson back to first, allowing Kerry Carpenter to serve as designated hitter. This brought Manuel Margot into the lineup in right field. That will most likely be the most usual alignment while Torres is out of play. Baez and Andy Ibáñez may see more playing time at second or hot corner, with Zach McKinstry moving over from third base.
Torres joins Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Pérez as position players on Detroit’s injured roster. The veteran infielder, who signed a one-year, $15 million free agent contract, was Detroit’s most significant offensive signing. He had a poor final season with the Yankees (.257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs), but that was largely due to a dreadful April. The 28-year-old had a more distinctive appearance. Since the beginning of May, there has been a 267/.339/.409 drop. During his first eight plate appearances as a Tiger, he had three hits (including a home run) and one walk.
Malloy replaces Torres on the active roster in what will be his first MLB appearance of the season. Last season, the 25-year-old played 71 games as a rookie. He battled to a.203/.291/.366 slash in 230 plate appearances. Malloy has a strong offensive record in the minors. He has a career.280/.410/.464 batting line in little under 1600 minor league plate appearances. This includes a 5-13 start with two walks in three games in Toledo this season. Malloy does not have a defined defensive position, but he might get some at-bats at DH or in the corner outfield, particularly against left-handed pitching.
