Detroit Tigers center fielder Riley Greene, sidelined with a stress reaction in his left fibula, couldn’t watch as the team’s six-game road trip turned into a six-game losing streak — in Chicago and Philadelphia.
Literally.
Greene couldn’t watch the games because of MLB.TV blackouts. Instead, the 22-year-old listened to Dan Dickerson’s radio calls throughout the trip.
“I was sitting here not doing much,” said Greene, who stayed in Detroit and didn’t travel with the Tigers for the first time in his MLB career. “Listening to Dan Dickerson because the MLB app blacked me out.”
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The Tigers returned to Comerica Park on Friday, and Miguel Cabrera noticed Greene from the other side of the clubhouse. Cabrera shouted for Greene, got his attention and sent what felt like a message from the entire team.
“We miss you,” Cabrera said.
The good news is Greene (and his infectious personality) won’t be away from the slumping Tigers for the foreseeable future, perhaps until he departs to start a minor-league rehab assignment.
He looks forward to traveling with the Tigers for the upcoming four-game series in Minneapolis, from June 15-18, even though he won’t play. On the previous road trip, manager A.J. Hinch said the Tigers missed Greene’s “liveliness around the dugout” during games.
Greene missed his teammates, too.
“I’m so excited to be with the boys,” Greene said, “and not being by myself.”
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Greene hit .296 with five home runs, 21 walks and 64 strikeouts in 52 games this season before the injury. The former No. 5 overall pick reported leg discomfort to the Tigers in the first inning May 30.
He hit .365 with a 1.008 OPS in May.
Greene, who had an inflatable brace on his lower left leg in the clubhouse, could miss six weeks while recovering from the stress reaction in his left fibula, which isn’t as severe as a stress fracture.
The stress reaction didn’t stem from a specific play.
“I never powered through anything,” Greene said. “It just kind of happened. I woke up one day, and it was hurting a little more than normal. It just happened to happen, and I didn’t notice it. It is what it is.”
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Before Friday’s game, Greene played catch with 2018 No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize — recovering from Tommy John surgery — at Comerica Park.
“I don’t really know, to be honest,” Greene said of the timetable for his return. “It’s definitely getting better each day, that’s for sure. That’s really all I know.”
Without Greene, the Tigers hit .127 with a .398 OPS and scored eight runs on the road. Still, the Tigers entered Friday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks just 3½ games behind the Minnesota Twins for first place in the American League Central, as all five teams in the Central have losing records.
“The energy everyone has,” Greene said, when asked if the Tigers could overcome his absence. “They’re a really good team. We are a really good team. Whatever happens, happens. The guys here are really good and have a lot of energy coming out of them. I’m not too worried.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.