TOLEDO, Ohio — About two weeks ago, Detroit Tigers prospect Ryan Kreidler returned to competition in Triple-A Toledo. He ripped a double into the left-field corner on the first pitch he saw May 27 after his reinstatement from the injured list.
But Kreidler hasn’t played for the Mud Hens since May 29.
“I came back and played two games, and the hand just didn’t respond as well as we wanted it to,” Kreidler, a 24-year-old infielder, said Tuesday at Fifth Third Field. “We’re trying to get it right so we don’t have to keep circling back to this injury and can cross it off the page.”
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Kreidler fractured the fifth metacarpal on his right hand April 26, underwent surgery for “some hardware” and returned to Toledo within four weeks. He rehabbed in Lakeland, Florida — home of the Tigers’ spring training facility — but didn’t need at-bats with Low-A Lakeland.
The Tigers shipped Kreidler directly to Triple-A.
“I wouldn’t have come up here had we thought there would be a speed bump that would take me out of games,” Kreidler said. “We all want to come up here, be smooth sailing and get right into playing every day.
“But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, which is OK. You guys know me. I want to play, but I just got to take care of the health side of it and make sure this isn’t something that keeps on lingering.”
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After surgery, Kreidler received positive news.
He could ramp up at his own pace and didn’t need to wait to resume baseball activities. So, Kreidler settled down in Lakeland and began throwing and swinging.
“At this point, it’s kind of pain tolerance and other stuff that’s in the hand,” Kreidler said, “making sure that those things respond well when we give it a little bit more pressure and a little bit more work.”
Pain from the surgery shelved him after two games in Toledo, but he hasn’t experienced a setback that will force a rehab assignment. Instead, he needs to wait for the pain to go away.
While awaiting full clearance, Kreidler is fielding ground balls and swinging the bat with limitations.
He does not have a timetable for his return to the lineup.
“We’re trying to manage it as best we can,” Kreidler said. “It’ll take as long as it takes. I don’t want to put a number on it. I’m trying to get back there as quick as I can, but at the same time, I gotta be mindful of the future. I’m trying to make this a one-time thing and get it out of the way.”
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Kreidler, a 2019 fourth-round pick out of UCLA, is hitting .243 in 20 games for Toledo. He has four home runs, 12 RBIs, nine walks and 25 strikeouts, to go with four stolen bases in five attempts.
He is the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
“I was super bummed,” Kreidler said. “I thought I was just starting to click it in offensively, which it seems like that’s always how it goes when you’re feeling great. You never get hurt when you’re playing bad. It’s life.”
Kreidler put himself on the map as a top prospect in 2021, hitting .270 with 23 doubles and 22 home runs in 129 games for Double-A Erie (88 games) and Triple-A Toledo (41 games).
In August 2021, Kreidler earned a promotion to Toledo alongside Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene.
“I understand what’s on the other side of this thing, and obviously, it’s a dream,” Kreidler said. “Having to put all that stuff on pause and not being able to be with my teammates, you want to be in Toledo or Detroit. You do not want to be in Lakeland. As much as that sucked, it’s been great to get back up here and be around the guys again.”
Torkelson made his MLB debut as the starting first baseman on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster, and Greene — after missing the start of the season due to a fracture in his right foot — is closing in on his MLB debut as the starting center fielder.
Once he’s healthy, Kreidler is expected to be the next prospect to reach the big leagues. He should join the Tigers at some point this season, as long as his performance with the Mud Hens meets expectations.
“It’s the goal,” Kreidler said. “You’re trying to take it day by day. I’m a Toledo Mud Hen right now, and that’s the most important thing. Taking care of business, I think if you stack a bunch of great days back-to-back, then good things will happen for you.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.