DETROIT -- The circle of late-inning options in the Tigers’ bullpen whittled on Friday, when Detroit placed right-hander Kyle Finnegan on the 15-day injured list with a right adductor strain.
The move is retroactive to Monday, the day after his last outing. Finnegan suffered the injury warming in the bullpen during the sixth inning of Wednesday’s win over the Mets, shutting down his warmup throws and heading back to the clubhouse before he could enter the game.
"It just felt tight leading up to the game and I wanted to see if it would loosen up," Finnegan said. "Once I started to warm up, I felt like the smartest decision was to shut it down and not risk injuring it any further.”
The hope is that by stopping at that point, Finnegan avoided what could’ve been a season-ending injury. The Tigers and Finnegan both characterized the injury as mild, and they’re optimistic that he’ll be able to return after a minimal absence -- he’d be eligible to return on Sept. 16 -- or shortly after. That would give him more than a week of regular-season games to get back to work before the postseason.
“Really, the only way to strengthen and rehab this is to have a little period of shutting down the games, keep his arm moving and continue doing things,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re going to miss him for the 15 days, and then we’ll see how he responds and when he can be available.”
Finnegan added: "I definitely stopped it before it could've gotten worse. I'm just going to attack the rehab one day at a time. I'm feeling really confident about where I am at already, so, just trust the plan. I expect to throw a few more games in the regular season and be ready for the postseason."
The Tigers acquired Finnegan at the July 31 Trade Deadline from the Nationals, where he had been the closer for much of the last five seasons. The 34-year-old picked up saves in each of his first three appearances with Detroit and added another in an extra-inning victory at Minnesota a week later, but has since settled into a more matchup-based role where Hinch deploys him against the middle of the opposing lineup regardless of the inning.
The results have been exactly what the Tigers needed. Finnegan has tossed 14 1/3 scoreless innings in 12 appearances, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out 19.
His absence leaves a void, but the Tigers hope recent resurgences from veterans Tommy Kahnle and Rafael Montero will allow them to step up in roles.
“It is encouraging to see those guys pitch well and be in leverage,” Hinch said. “I think the challenge for us is going to be to continue to stay creative in using our pitching. We have some length in the 'pen. We have some matchup problems in the 'pen for the other side. We have pretty good balance, especially when we have multiple lefties in the 'pen, and we’re going to find different paths to get to the end.”
The Finnegan move gave the Tigers an open roster spot for Parker Meadows’ return. Detroit reinstated their center fielder from the 10-day injured list, where he had spent the past five weeks with a right quad strain. He returned to Detroit’s starting lineup for Friday’s series opener against the White Sox, batting ninth and playing center field.
With expanded rosters, the Tigers aren’t going short in the 'pen. They still have the standard eight-man bullpen they deployed from the start of the season through August. With an off-day yesterday and another one coming next Monday, their bullpen is well-rested. They’ll go to nine relievers at some point, possibly when veteran Paul Sewald is ready to return from his right shoulder strain. He began a rehab assignment with a scoreless inning Thursday for High-A West Michigan, and will make another appearance there this weekend. He’s eligible to come off the 10-day IL next Wednesday.