Tigers Appear Set To Get Reese Olson Back Before Crucial Guardians Series

The Detroit Tigers have been struggling as of late when it comes to getting quality starts outside of the days when Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize are on the mound.

Jack Flaherty has been wildly inconsistent. Beyond Flaherty it has been a mess of bullpen games which have yielded an incredibly wide spectrum of results. For a team that hopes to make a deep run this October, it's not a great situation to be in.

With that being said, the Tigers look like they are set to receive a massive boost to their starting rotation this weekend while they get set to take on their division rival Cleveland Guardians.

More News: Detroit Tigers Land Three Starters in All-Star Game for American League

Detroit is able to activate right-hander Reese Olson for the Friday night opener against the Guardians coming off a rehab assignment, and by everything they have said in addition to leaving the starter as TBD for now, it appears that is the direction they will be taking.

Manager A.J. Hinch spoke about Olson's eventual return headed into this series.

More News: Could Tigers Look To Make Blockbuster Trade With Marlins Ahead of Deadline?

"First off, he’s really good," Hinch said via the Detroit Free Press. "He's one of the more underrated guys that we’ve lost. He doesn’t get a lot of attention, but we love when he pitches. ... We have a tough series ahead. ... Having Reese back on prior to that four-day [All-Star] break is probably good for him and good for us."

Olson had been sensational this year before missing the last two months with a finger inflammation issue that proved to be more serious than initially thought.

More News: Tigers Prospect Cracks Top 10 of Latest MLB Pipeline Top 100 Rankings

With a 2.96 ERA and 1.171 WHIP to go with 51 strikeouts in 48.2 innings over nine starts, Olson became one of the team's most important and most improved arms before he was put on the shelf.

The injury interrupted what was looking like a breakout year for the young pitcher, however, the Tigers will have to hope it did not derail it completely.

More News: Tigers Reportedly Among Teams 'Closely Monitoring' Pirates Star

If Olson can return now healthy and be the kind of pitcher he was at the start of the season, the outlook for this team down the stretch and into October changes completely.

Olson can be the missing link this team has needed, and while a move at the trade deadline is still needed, the pressure drops immensely.

The righty will be under a very close microscope on Friday night as he seems ready to make his first start since the middle of May.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.