The Detroit Tigers placed outfielder Riley Greene on the injured list on Wednesday because of a stress fracture in his left fibula, the team announced. In a corresponding move, the Tigers purchased the contract of outfielder Jake Marisnick and promoted him to the majors. Right-hander Trey Wingenter was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-player roster.
Greene, 22, suffered the injury on Tuesday night. He had been in the midst of an impressive run that had him sporting a 1.008 OPS over the course of May. That hot stretch had improved his seasonal line to .296/.362/.443 (124 OPS+) with five home runs and six stolen bases. Greene's contributions had been worth an estimated 1.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference's calculations, or more than he produced last season despite playing in 41 additional games.
The Tigers have not provided a timetable on Greene's return, and likely will not do so until after he receives a second opinion on the injury.
Marisnick, 32, had been acquired from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for cash considerations before Greene went down on Tuesday. He remains a talented defensive outfielder whose offense leaves a lot to be desired. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, he's posted an 88 OPS+ with nine home runs in 316 plate appearances.
The Tigers have been surprisingly competitive this season, entering Wednesday with a 25-28 record that places them second in the American League Central, just two games back of the Minnesota Twins. Alas, Greene is the second key loss suffered by the Tigers this week. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, possessor of a 2.13 ERA over his first 11 starts, will also miss action after injuring his finger.
