The Detroit Tigers’ outfield depth took another hit Thursday afternoon.
Detroit announced that James Outman has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list, one day after he was struck near the chin by a fastball from Cleveland Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski.
Outman remained in Wednesday’s game after the play, but the Tigers elected to place him in concussion protocol Thursday. Detroit recalled outfielder Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo to take his spot on the active roster.
Outman Heads to IL
Outman has appeared in 2026 with Detroit while providing the Tigers with power and the ability to handle multiple outfield positions.
Across his major-league action this season, Outman is hitting .157 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, 20 runs and six stolen bases in 153 at-bats. He owns a .213 on-base percentage, .288 slugging percentage and .501 OPS.
While the offensive numbers have been inconsistent, Outman has delivered several big swings for Detroit, including home runs against Cleveland, Houston and Kansas City earlier this season.
His absence adds another complication to an already depleted Tigers outfield.
Javier Báez Gets Rare Start in Left Field
With Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Matt Vierling and now Outman unavailable, Detroit turned to Javier Báez in left field for Thursday afternoon’s series finale against Cleveland.
According to Jason Beck, Báez entered the game with only three previous career appearances in left field, totaling 2⅔ innings.
“We’ll take his athleticism in LF,” A.J. Hinch said.
Max Clark remained in center field, while Ben Malgeri drew the start in right.
The Tigers also had Gleyber Torres, Dillon Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, Eduardo Valencia, Spencer Torkelson and Hao-Yu Lee in Thursday’s lineup, with Keider Montero scheduled to start on the mound.
Bottom Line
James Outman will miss at least seven days after the Tigers placed him on the concussion injured list.
Detroit recalled Trei Cruz from Toledo, but the move leaves the Tigers scrambling for outfield options during one of the most important stretches of their season.
For Thursday, that means something Tigers fans almost never see: Javier Báez in left field.