Detroit, MI

Riley Greene won’t play in 2026 WBC after turning down Puerto Rico

Published

2 months ago

February 3, 2026

Press Room

Riley Greene won’t play in 2026 WBC after turning down Puerto Rico

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene won’t participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The 25-year-old declined an invitation from Team Puerto Rico, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. He wanted to compete for Team USA – as he did as a teenager at the 2018 Pan-American Championships – but he didn’t receive an invitation.

He also turned down Team Puerto Rico for the 2023 WBC.

Greene is eligible to play for Puerto Rico through his mother, Lisa Greene.

“I know it would be a transition for him, being able to share the same clubhouse with a lot of Latino guys,” Carlos Beltrán, a Hall of Fame outfielder and Team Puerto Rico’s general manager, said Dec. 9 regarding his recruitment pitch. “We can be loud, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be fun.”

The WBC starts March 5 and ends March 17.

Therefore, Greene will spend all of spring training with the Tigers in Lakeland, Florida, preparing for Opening Day on March 26 against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego.

The first full-squad workout is Feb. 15 at the Tigers’ complex.

Greene – the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft – has the potential to develop into a superstar player in the 2026 season after back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2024-25. He became one of 11 MLB players to hit at least 36 home runs in 2025, though he also set a franchise record with 201 strikeouts in 157 games.

Cleaning up his 30.7% strikeout rate is the best path to superstardom, but Team Puerto Rico wanted him for his proven power production.

Instead, they’ll have to find it elsewhere.

“It would be incredible,” Beltrán said. “He is a run producer. He’s very talented. I love the way he plays. He plays hard, and he has a lot of passion. I would be very excited to come out with him – because he’s a power bat.”

For the 2026 WBC, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer won’t play for Team Puerto Rico, but Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado will participate. Springer and Arenado were born in the United States, but they’re eligible for both Team USA and Team Puerto Rico through family ties – just like Greene.

Arenado represented Team USA in 2017 and 2023, but Team USA didn’t invite him in 2026.

That’s why he switched to Team Puerto Rico.

“I’ve already had some pretty harsh DMs coming at me by some people,” Arenado said Jan. 27 on the “Foul Territory” show. “I had a couple of people say I’m a traitor. I’m like, ‘Listen, I didn’t get asked to play for USA.’ It’s baseball. It’s not a big deal. I’m excited to play for Puerto Rico, and if we end up playing USA, I think that’d be pretty cool.”

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Team Puerto Rico – managed by MLB legend Yadier Molina, a former teammate of Arenado with the St. Louis Cardinals – will compete in Pool A at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, alongside Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the single-elimination bracket.

The 2026 WBC championship is March 17 at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Detroit, MI

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

Published

10 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.

In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Published

22 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL

Boston — Not a bad place for big-league debut.

The Tigers on Friday placed Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list and called up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo. He was in the lineup against the Red Sox, batting eighth at Fenway Park.

“We’re excited for Lee to get his feet wet in the big leagues,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s a good player. We’ve had him in big league camp the last two years. He hits the ball hard and can play good defense. Now he’s getting his first look at one of the cathedrals in our sport for his debut.”

Part of the decision to call up Lee, and not Jace Jung or Trei Cruz, Hinch said, was where the Tigers are in the schedule. Including Friday against Ranger Suarez, the Tigers will be facing six lefties in the next 12 games.

The right-handed hitting Lee slugged .558 with a .969 OPS against lefties last season.

Coming off an oblique injury this spring, which kept him from playing for Chinese Taipei in the WBC, he’s off to a slow start at Toledo (4 for 26).

“He’s been swinging it better than his numbers indicate,” Hinch said. “Results are so finicky this time of year. He’s coming off a good day (Wednesday). He hit a home run. So it’s good timing for that. He’s been hitting it hard and making good decisions on what to swing at.

“And that is key in transitioning from Triple-A to the big leagues.”

McKinstry exited Wednesday night’s game against the Royals ahead of the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 2-1 victory. He fell hard on the hip twice. Once on a head-first slide at the plate and the other after he was tripped up by Royals’ Jac Caglianone.

“He’s pretty beat up,” Hinch said. “We didn’t want to play short-handed but we’re also hoping to get him back quickly.”

McKinstry stayed back in Detroit and is expected to undergo further evaluations.

“He was doing better today than he was yesterday,” Hinch said. “But he clearly needed a break to heal up.”

Lee, 23, was not made available to the media until after the game. He is No. 6 among the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and was acquired by the Tigers in an August 2023 trade that sent starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Around the horn

Justin Verlander (hip inflammation) did not make the trip to Boston. “We have to respect the soreness and inflammation that he’s dealing with,” Hinch said. “He’s working out and he’s doing everything. It’s just going a little bit slower. We’re going to respect it and give him the time he needs.”

… Lefty reliever Bailey Horn (elbow), who has had his throwing program paused, received a cortisone shot Thursday.

Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky

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