Justin Upton Injury: Updates on Tigers LF's Quad and Return

Detroit Tigers left fielder Justin Upton was dealing with a quad injury and had been out since May 23. However, he has been cleared to return to the lineup.

Continue for updates. 

---

Upton Active vs. Athletics

Friday, May 27

The Tigers announced Upton will play against the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

---

Tigers Missed Upton's Bat in Lineup

Upton was one of Detroit's big offseason acquisitions—starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann was also signed away from Washington—and signed to help add depth in the middle of a lineup that already included Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez. 

The Tigers also needed to get younger, as Cabrera, Kinsler and Victor Martinez are all 33 or older. Upton, despite being in the big leagues since 2007, is just 28 years old. He's also been durable, playing at least 149 games every season since 2011. 

There were early struggles for Upton as he played in the AL for the first time. He had just one home run in his first 18 games, as well as 31 strikeouts in his first 73 at-bats. Prior to the injury, he only had two home runs on the campaign and was hitting .223.

Upton's only significant injury was a strained oblique in 2010 that caused him to miss most of September. His past ability to remain healthy certainly made him an attractive option to the Tigers.