​The Detroit Tigers have pinpointed the issue with reliever Will Vest. On Friday, July 10, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced that Vest has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in the right elbow. There is no defined timetable for his return, but Hinch expressed hope that Vest could be back pitching in the majors before the year ends. Vest had been placed on the 15-day injured list on July 1 after experiencing inflammation at the back of his elbow, though the initial cause of the inflammation wasn’t clear at the time. With this new diagnosis, the Tigers now have a more concrete understanding of Vest’s condition, which likely means a longer absence than originally anticipated, though it should spare him a ligament injury that could have been season-ending.
Hinch noted that when a pitcher experiences an arm injury, teams often fear the worst, especially the standard injury scenarios that come with pitching. This particular issue is bone-related, which involves a different rehabilitation path. He added that the club expects to obtain more clarity about Vest’s situation over the All-Star break next week.
Vest has had what many would regard as his roughest professional season in 2026, entering the injured list with a 6.08 ERA across 26⅔ innings. Earlier years, he had been a backbone of the Tigers’ bullpen, delivering a team-best 23 saves in 2025, but his velocity has dipped noticeably—about one mile per hour—from 2025 to 2026, according to Statcast data.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s second baseman Gleyber Torres will use the All-Star break to continue rehabbing his oblique injury at the Tigers’ facility in Lakeland, Florida. Torres has been out since June 15 after reaggravating his oblique and has shown progress toward returning to action. He took batting practice at Comerica Park on Friday, before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies, taking roughly 20 swings and showing solid power by spraying the ball around the park. Torres has been a steady presence at the plate this season, posting a .790 OPS over 43 games and ranking fourth on the club among players with at least 190 plate appearances. However, his season has been hampered by injury, with the oblique strain accounting for a large portion of his absence.
Additionally, right-hander Jackson Jobe is set to join Torres in Lakeland during the break as he continues rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery. Jobe completed his first rehab start since the surgery in June 2025, allowing one run on two hits over 1⅓ innings for Low-A Lakeland on July 7. His return could bolster a rotation that has shown strong form of late, posting a 1.53 ERA over the previous 10 games. Jobe’s reintroduction, along with Torres and Vest’s recovery, will shape the Tigers’ path as they navigate the All-Star period and the remainder of the season.