Riley Greene was out of the Detroit Tigers lineup on June 29 against the New York Yankees. The 84-game run ended, but he was not hurt and stayed available to pinch-hit.
A.J. Hinch said, "He's gonna factor in at some point" and added, "He will not be shut down too long, but I've been targeting this day for a while in the middle of this stretch and just trying to freshen him up a little bit. Everybody deserves a day."
Greene had played in 84 straight games and was the only Detroit player to appear in every game this season before the lineup change. He had started every game since April 17 against the Boston Red Sox, after pinch-hitting for Matt Vierling in that game.
Hinch eases Greene's load
The move came as the Detroit Tigers opened a three-game series against the New York Yankees. Hinch framed it as a planned pause in the middle of the stretch, not a shutdown, which left Greene in uniform and ready if the game called for him.
Greene backed that up in the clubhouse: "I’m always ready." That kept the line between rest and removal narrow, because he was out of the lineup card but still part of the in-game options.
Kevin McGonigle at Yankee Stadium
Kevin McGonigle was also on the move Monday. The 21-year-old toured Monument Park and got ready to play in Yankee Stadium for the first time in his career.
Hinch added a little frame to the day when he said, "There's something unique and special about Yankee Stadium." He also joked, "I should make him do a project on him," with Kevin McGonigle and Babe Ruth in the same thought.
For Detroit, the roster note sits alongside a season-long problem in tight games. The Tigers were 11-31 in games decided by two runs or less, so every lineup choice carries a sharper edge when the margin is that thin.
