Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Tigers scare buyers days before MLB trade deadline

By Seth Carlson | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 10:08 PM ET

Oh, the irony for the Detroit Tigers.

In an unwelcome development in the ninth inning of the Tigers' 5-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday night in Detroit, reliever Will Vest plunked third baseman Eugenio Suarez on the hand with a 96-mph fastball in the ninth inning, forcing the latter to depart the contest for Arizona.

Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suarez was hit on the hand with a fastball and has left the game. pic.twitter.com/bRc4cQ5jhf
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2025

Widely considered to be the best player available at this year's trade deadline (Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. ET), Suarez is being pursued by multiple clubs, including, of course, the Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers, one of the strong suitors for Diamondbacks All Star 3B Eugenio Suarez, would love to finalize a deal before Suarez leaves town Wednesday. The DBacks are in Detroit for 3-game series.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 28, 2025

After earlier news surfaced regarding another major trade candidate in Cleveland Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase being investigated for sports betting, any significant injury to Suarez could spell disaster for a trade market that was already barren enough due to a lack of teams that are truly "selling" this season.

The good news, for now, is that initial X-rays came back negative on Suarez's hand. However, he will go for additional testing on Tuesday to confirm the results.

Eugenio Suarez said X-rays were negative but he will get more tests tomorrow https://t.co/VSboqzcj3W
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) July 29, 2025

The 34-year-old third baseman is having a career year, with 36 home runs and a .898 OPS in 105 games thus far. It's no wonder he has as many suitors as he does league-wide.

Hopefully for the Tigers, they didn't foil their plans, let alone those of other clubs. At worst, the immediacy of the trade deadline hangs in the balance, with other teams possibly forced to scour for alternatives should worse fears be confirmed.

For now, we'll have to hope that the negative X-rays were accurate, which would once again allow trade speculation to commence in the days ahead.

Seth Carlson

Seth Carlson is an experienced writer and editor based in the NYC area with a particular love for all things baseball. He has a demonstrated history of delivering insightful analysis and engaging content across multiple outlets and industries. Seth brings his expertise and commitment to high-quality coverage to Yardbarker’s readers.

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