The Detroit Tigers started off a 10-game homestand on the right foot on Thursday night with a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the first of a four-game series with their divisional rival.

A second victory of the year from Reese Olson — and perhaps his best start yet in 2025 — stood out as the right-hander tossed five scoreless innings with just four hits allowed and five strikeouts. But it was one player in particular who was the story of the night for the Tigers.

Star outfielder Riley Greene got off to a decent start to the year after being named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season, but the last couple of weeks had been absolutely dreadful.

Without registering a hit in a week-and-a-half, while also striking out like it’s his job, things were not good for the 24-year-old.

During a five-game stretch last week, Greene had slashed .058/.143/.053. And though his style of swing makes him prone to slumps, this was the kind of cold stretch Detroit had not seen throughout his career to this point.

However, it ended in a major way on Thursday night with the exact kind of game both Greene and the team have been desperate for.

Greene had three hits. Two were RBI singles and one was an infield single where he dug it out and beat out the throw to first base. Perhaps most importantly, he did not strike out after weeks of not seeing the ball well.

After the game, the outfielder spoke about what the last couple of weeks have been like and how he was able to keep perspective.

“Runners in scoring position, just choking up and trying to get it done. I wasn’t trying to do too much,” Greene said via the Detroit Free Press. “It’s a tough game and it is a game of failure. We all know that if you succeed three out of 10 times, you are a Hall of Famer. It’s a tough game and just having the confidence every day and going up there believing that you can do it.”

If this can be the start of a turnaround for Greene, it’s going to be a tremendous boost to a lineup that has produced above expectations overall, but has cooled down throughout his cold streak.

With a breakout from Spencer Torkelson along with several other elevated performances, having everyone at their best and producing at the plate was always the recipe for the Tigers to be able to recreate the success they had at the tail end of last season.

If Greene has ended his slump, this is a Detroit team that could be a legitimate American League contender.

He will need to keep showing it, but Thursday night was an excellent first step.