AJ Hinch didn’t mince words about Tommy Kahnle’s brutal struggles for Tigers

Remember when the bullpen actually used to be a strength for the Detroit Tigers? It was just last season that AJ Hinch's team thrived on "pitching chaos" and leaned heavily on their relievers due to an injury-depleted starting rotation, but those days feel like a distant memory.

Fast forward to August of 2025, where the Tigers' bullpen ranks 27th in all of baseball with a 4.84 ERA since June 1. To make matters worse, the man at the center of the team's relief struggles is the same man the Tigers signed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract in January to help stabilize the bullpen: veteran right-hander Tommy Kahnle.

The 36-year-old appeared to be as advertised when he arrived, pitching to a 1.35 ERA through his first 33 1/3 innings this season. But he has since seen a dramatic drop-off, with his ERA ballooning up to a whopping 14.85 over his last 13 1/3 innings.

AJ Hinch didn’t mince words about Tommy Kahnle’s brutal struggles for Tigers

While there's plenty of blame to go around, Kahnle remains at the forefront as the highest-paid member of Detroit's bullpen. He's no longer reliable in high-leverage situations, which has forced Hinch to demote him to low-leverage only.

Kahnle has noticeably lost his feel for his changeup, which he throws more than 83% of the time. As batters continue to put the ball in play on what used to be his most dominant pitch, he is becoming more and more unusable.

"He doesn't get to pitch for free," Hinch said (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). "The situation is going to dictate whether the innings are there for him. You try to get him as low leverage as possible, so that he can work on things. The pregame work, that's where he's got to find the feel. We've got to compete on the field. This is not practice."

The Tigers need Kahnle to return to form if they have a prayer at making another deep playoff run, and the only way for him to "get the feel" for his changeup again is to continue to pitch through it – even as he continues to be one of Detroit's greatest liabilities.

Kahnle breaking down later in the year has been a concern with the right-hander, and was likely a reason the Yankees didn't look to re-sign him. Now the Tigers are living that reality and must find a way to navigate the situation before it's too late.

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