{"id":570290,"date":"2026-02-13T14:13:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/570290\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:13:31","slug":"reese-olson-to-miss-2026-detroit-tigers-season-with-shoulder-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/570290\/","title":{"rendered":"Reese Olson to miss 2026 Detroit Tigers season with shoulder surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Tigers<\/a> will be without Reese Olson<\/a> for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old right-hander underwent shoulder surgery Feb. 2 and has been placed on the 60-day injured list. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training Wednesday, Feb. 11, for their first workout in Lakeland, Florida.<\/p>\n

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Olson won’t pitch for the Tigers until 2027.<\/p>\n

He tried to rehab from a season-ending shoulder injury<\/a> throughout the offseason, but setbacks led to surgery.<\/p>\n

Olson, who turns 27 in late July, owns a 3.60 ERA in his three-year MLB career, spanning 56 games (53 starts). The Tigers acquired him at the 2021 trade deadline from the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> in exchange for left-handed reliever Daniel Norris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Detroit Tigers pitcher Reese Olson (45) walks off the filed after pitching the fifth inning against Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 17, 2025.<\/p>\n

JEFF SEIDEL: Justin Verlander is Tigers making a huge statement: Let’s win World Series<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tigers learned about the severity of Olson’s situation about a week before signing left-hander Framber Valdez on Feb. 4 to a three-year, $115 million contract<\/a>. Then, a day before the start of spring training, the Tigers and former longtime ace Justin Verlander reunited on a one-year, $13 million contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In 2025, Olson registered a 3.15 ERA with 25 walks and 65 strikeouts across 68\u2154 innings in 13 starts. He made two stops on the injured list, suffering from right ring finger inflammation<\/a> in mid-May and a right shoulder strain<\/a> in late July.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t the first time he dealt with a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n

He also missed nearly three months with a right shoulder strain in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The shoulder injuries \u2013 plus the finger injury \u2013 limited him to just 35 starts across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, far short of a potential 65 starts had he avoided the injured list.<\/p>\n

Without Olson, the Tigers’ rotation in the 2026 season projects to feature Valdez, Tarik Skubal<\/a>, Jack Flaherty<\/a>, Casey Mize<\/a> and Verlander, with Drew Anderson<\/a> and Troy Melton<\/a> in the mix if there’s another injury. Skubal and Valdez are two of five left-handers to throw at least 350 innings with a sub-3.50 ERA over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

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The need for another frontline starter became even more pressing with Olson sidelined, so the Tigers signed Valdez \u2013\u00a0rather than continuing their pursuits of mid-tier starters in free agency, such as Chris Bassitt<\/a>, Lucas Giolito<\/a> and Nick Martinez<\/a> \u2013 and then six days later, added Verlander in a surprise move.<\/p>\n

Contact Evan Petzold at\u00a0epetzold@freepress.com<\/a>\u00a0or follow him\u00a0@EvanPetzold<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Listen to our weekly Tigers show\u00a0“Days of Roar”<\/a>\u00a0every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on\u00a0Apple<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Reese Olson injury update: Detroit Tigers starter undergoes surgery<\/a><\/p>\n