Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

MLB's Best Team Loses Key Arm to Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated May 20, 2025 1:21 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers have not been this good in a decade. Last year's Tigers team snapped a 10-year playoff drought with a run to the American League Championship Series. This year's Tigers team entered play Tuesday with the best record in all of Major League Baseball.

Pitching has been paramount. Detroit ranks in the top 10 across the sport in strikeouts (ninth), walks (eighth), WHIP (eighth), batting average-against (seventh) and earned-run average (sixth). Starters Tarik Skubal - the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner - Jack Flaherty and Reese Olson all rank in the top 20 in American League strikeouts, while Skubal and Olson are both top-13 in ERA.

But the first bump in the road has come for a Tigers team that has largely avoided hiccups on its pitching staff.

The Tigers placed Olson on the injured list Tuesday with right finger inflammation. He left Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays after giving up just one hit and one walk in six innings because of soreness in the finger.

Manager AJ Hinch isn't replacing Olson with a starter, though. The Tigers will throw a reliever as an opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, which shifts previously scheduled starter Jack Flaherty back to Thursday. Detroit's bullpen ERA, WHIP and batting average-against also rank in the top 10 in MLB.

"We're certainly not going to send Reese into a game without his full arsenal," Hinch said. "And we'll have a further update whenever I get it. But it's not going to be this series for Reese anyway, and now we have an extra reliever."

Olson will miss at least two starts, the team said. He has a 2.96 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 48 2/3 innings this year.

Detroit called up reliever Chase Lee from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: