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Kyle Finnegan is the best reliever in the Detroit Tigers' bullpen, but he isn't eligible to pitch for the Tigers until Sept. 16.
That's because the Tigers placed Finnegan — a right-handed reliever acquired from the Washington Nationals at the July 31 trade deadline — on the 15-day injured list Friday, Sept. 5, with a right adductor strain, retroactive to Monday, Sept. 1.
At the earliest, Finnegan could return Sept. 16 for the Tigers' opener of a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park, but the 34-year-old might need more than the minimum stay on the injured list.
"It's mild, which is a good sign," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. "The only way to strengthen and rehab this is to have a little period of shutting down games. We'll keep his arm moving, but we're going to miss him for the 15 days, and we'll see how he responds and when he can be available."
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Best thing about Tigers' closers? Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest put team first
This loss for the Tigers is significant.
Finnegan expects to return for a few games in the regular season, which ends Sept. 28. After that, the ALDS in the postseason is scheduled to start Oct. 4.
"He seems really confidence in how he feels," Hinch said. "I just don't know. I don't know how he's going to respond. I don't know when we're going to push him or how this is going to go. Time will tell, but we certainly expect him to contribute."
The injury occurred while Finnegan warmed up in the bullpen Wednesday, Sept. 3, during the series finale against the New York Mets at Comerica Park. Assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves told him to stop throwing after one pitch.
Finnegan reported right groin tightness.
Medical tests diagnosed a right adductor strain.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Without Finnegan, the Tigers will rely on right-handed reliever Will Vest in save situations — bumping right-handed relievers Tommy Kahnle and Rafael Montero into high-leverage roles.
"We're going to have to find different paths to get to the end," Hinch said. "Vest will probably get the majority of the outs at the end of the game, but I still feel really good about bringing him in aggressively when we need to. That can happen when you have guys like Tommy and Raffy throwing the ball the way they have. It's a different way to use our guys."
PITCH MIX: After trade, Tigers' Kyle Finnegan flips pitch mix: more splitters, fewer fastballs
Since joining the Tigers, Finnegan — the best reliever in the bullpen — owns a 0.00 ERA with three walks and 19 strikeouts across 14⅓ innings in 12 games. Before the trade, he had a 4.38 ERA with 14 walks and 32 strikeouts across 39 innings in 40 games, serving as the Nationals' closer.
His performance improved because the Tigers overhauled his pitch mix with more splitters and fewer fastballs.
In the month of August, Finnegan threw 14⅓ innings — more than any other month in his six-year MLB career. In 2025, he pitched more than one inning four times in 12 games with the Tigers, compared to just four times in 40 games with the Nationals.
With Finnegan to the injured list, the Tigers activated center fielder Parker Meadows (right quad strain) from the 10-day injured list after seven games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo.
For the Mud Hens, Meadows hit .261 with five walks and 12 strikeouts in seven games. The 25-year-old returned to the Tigers' lineup for Friday's game against White Sox right-hander Shane Smith, playing center field and batting ninth. He homered on the first pitch he saw from Smith, driving in two runs in the bottom of the third inning. A few innings later, he made a diving catch while ranging toward left-center field. He finished 1-for-1 with a walk and two RBIs.
In his return, Meadows needs to earn his way to an everyday role.
USAGE: Splitter-heavy Kyle Finnegan of Tigers becomes multi-inning reliever after trade
"The better you play, the more you play," Hinch said. "If getting Parker back brings that speed, the defense and the bat that we've been accustomed to, especially the latter part of last season and parts of this year, he'll force his way into the lineup."
Right-handed reliever Paul Sewald (right shoulder strain) began his rehab assignment Thursday, Sept. 4, with High-A West Michigan, completing one inning on 13 pitches.
Sewald is scheduled to pitch again for the Whitecaps.
"We'll just continue to see how many outings it's going to need before he's sharp and good," Hinch said. "The stuff was really good. The bounce-back has been good. He feels awesome."
The 35-year-old hasn't pitched in MLB since July 11 with the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers acquired Sewald, a nine-year MLB veteran, from the Guardians at the July 31 trade deadline.
When healthy, Sewald registered a 4.70 ERA with four walks and 18 strikeouts across 15⅓ innings in 18 games during the 2025 campaign, all with the Guardians.
He isn't eligible to pitch for the Tigers until Sept. 10.
Free Press columnist Carlos Monarrez contributed to this report.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kyle Finnegan on IL: When can Detroit Tigers expect him back?
Continue reading...
That's because the Tigers placed Finnegan — a right-handed reliever acquired from the Washington Nationals at the July 31 trade deadline — on the 15-day injured list Friday, Sept. 5, with a right adductor strain, retroactive to Monday, Sept. 1.
At the earliest, Finnegan could return Sept. 16 for the Tigers' opener of a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park, but the 34-year-old might need more than the minimum stay on the injured list.
"It's mild, which is a good sign," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. "The only way to strengthen and rehab this is to have a little period of shutting down games. We'll keep his arm moving, but we're going to miss him for the 15 days, and we'll see how he responds and when he can be available."
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Best thing about Tigers' closers? Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest put team first
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This loss for the Tigers is significant.
Finnegan expects to return for a few games in the regular season, which ends Sept. 28. After that, the ALDS in the postseason is scheduled to start Oct. 4.
"He seems really confidence in how he feels," Hinch said. "I just don't know. I don't know how he's going to respond. I don't know when we're going to push him or how this is going to go. Time will tell, but we certainly expect him to contribute."
The injury occurred while Finnegan warmed up in the bullpen Wednesday, Sept. 3, during the series finale against the New York Mets at Comerica Park. Assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves told him to stop throwing after one pitch.
Finnegan reported right groin tightness.
Medical tests diagnosed a right adductor strain.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Without Finnegan, the Tigers will rely on right-handed reliever Will Vest in save situations — bumping right-handed relievers Tommy Kahnle and Rafael Montero into high-leverage roles.
"We're going to have to find different paths to get to the end," Hinch said. "Vest will probably get the majority of the outs at the end of the game, but I still feel really good about bringing him in aggressively when we need to. That can happen when you have guys like Tommy and Raffy throwing the ball the way they have. It's a different way to use our guys."
PITCH MIX: After trade, Tigers' Kyle Finnegan flips pitch mix: more splitters, fewer fastballs
Since joining the Tigers, Finnegan — the best reliever in the bullpen — owns a 0.00 ERA with three walks and 19 strikeouts across 14⅓ innings in 12 games. Before the trade, he had a 4.38 ERA with 14 walks and 32 strikeouts across 39 innings in 40 games, serving as the Nationals' closer.
His performance improved because the Tigers overhauled his pitch mix with more splitters and fewer fastballs.
In the month of August, Finnegan threw 14⅓ innings — more than any other month in his six-year MLB career. In 2025, he pitched more than one inning four times in 12 games with the Tigers, compared to just four times in 40 games with the Nationals.
Parker Meadows returns
With Finnegan to the injured list, the Tigers activated center fielder Parker Meadows (right quad strain) from the 10-day injured list after seven games on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo.
For the Mud Hens, Meadows hit .261 with five walks and 12 strikeouts in seven games. The 25-year-old returned to the Tigers' lineup for Friday's game against White Sox right-hander Shane Smith, playing center field and batting ninth. He homered on the first pitch he saw from Smith, driving in two runs in the bottom of the third inning. A few innings later, he made a diving catch while ranging toward left-center field. He finished 1-for-1 with a walk and two RBIs.
In his return, Meadows needs to earn his way to an everyday role.
USAGE: Splitter-heavy Kyle Finnegan of Tigers becomes multi-inning reliever after trade
"The better you play, the more you play," Hinch said. "If getting Parker back brings that speed, the defense and the bat that we've been accustomed to, especially the latter part of last season and parts of this year, he'll force his way into the lineup."
Paul Sewald begins rehab assignment
Right-handed reliever Paul Sewald (right shoulder strain) began his rehab assignment Thursday, Sept. 4, with High-A West Michigan, completing one inning on 13 pitches.
Sewald is scheduled to pitch again for the Whitecaps.
"We'll just continue to see how many outings it's going to need before he's sharp and good," Hinch said. "The stuff was really good. The bounce-back has been good. He feels awesome."
The 35-year-old hasn't pitched in MLB since July 11 with the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers acquired Sewald, a nine-year MLB veteran, from the Guardians at the July 31 trade deadline.
When healthy, Sewald registered a 4.70 ERA with four walks and 18 strikeouts across 15⅓ innings in 18 games during the 2025 campaign, all with the Guardians.
He isn't eligible to pitch for the Tigers until Sept. 10.
Free Press columnist Carlos Monarrez contributed to this report.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kyle Finnegan on IL: When can Detroit Tigers expect him back?
Continue reading...
