Guardians’ AL Central window just swung even more open thanks to Tigers’ injuries 

While the Cleveland Guardians entered play today with a three game lead over the Chicago White Sox, there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played before we can officially declare the division for the Guardians (we saw that last year when they stormed back in September to top the Detroit Tigers). 

But Cleveland’s path toward winning that title got a little easier yesterday when the Tigers put closer Kenley Jansen on the injured list with pelvic inflammation, making him the 15th player on the team’s injured list. 

But that number doesn’t fully account for how much the Tigers have been shellacked by injuries, as All-Star starter Casey Mize also left the Tigers’ game on Wednesday but has yet to be formally placed on the IL. 

The Tigers have arguably been the biggest disappointment in baseball this year, and their bevy of injuries makes it hard to believe they’re ever going to muster a comeback in the American League Central. 

Not much is going right for the Tigers 

This is the second injury scare for Jansen, who missed some time at the end of April due to a groin strain but was never placed on the injured list. 

On paper the Tigers seem capable of handling Jansen’s injury thanks to the presence of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan, but Detroit’s bullpen is currently 16th in baseball with a 4.02 ERA. 

The Tigers are also near the bottom of baseball in Outs Above Average, OPS and outs on the bases. Not much is going right for them, and it’s created even more pressure on manager AJ Hinch.

Meanwhile, the Guardians are once again at the top of the division thanks to a strong pitching staff, solid defense and pesky offense. 

The biggest thing that could end up swinging things for Detroit is the return of Tarik Skubal, who underwent NanoNeedle surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He already appears to be on the uptick and is set to throw a simulated game next week despite being less than a month removed from surgery. 

But it’s also a legitimate question as to whether or not he’s pitched in his last game for the Tigers. He’s set to be a free agent this year after his record-setting run through arbitration, and it’s clear the Tigers aren’t going to do anything this year. 

If Skubal’s able to come back and flash his Cy Young form then the Tigers should jump at the first opportunity to trade him. 

The Guardians and Tigers have played in plenty of marquee matchups over the past two years in both the regular season and playoffs. But it seems like that window has swung shut for the Tigers while the Guardians’ is still wide-open. 

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