Kyle Finnegan has Tigers fans feeling a whole lot better after comments on injury

Just when the Detroit Tigers thought they had fixed their bullpen, it appeared that it had fallen apart again when Kyle Finnegan landed on the 15-day injured list.

Finnegan, whom the Tigers acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline to address their need for a shutdown reliever, felt discomfort while warming up in the bullpen on Wednesday and was subsequently placed on the IL retroactive to Sept. 1 with a mild right adductor strain. For the Tigers, it felt like their worst nightmare.

But there may be some good news. Speaking to reporters (including Evan Woodberry of MLive) on Friday, Finnegan said that he feels "super optimistic" that he will be able to return to the Tigers in time for the playoffs – and potentially even in time to finish out the regular season.

“I’m going to attack the rehab one day at a time," said Finnegan, who is eligible to be activated off the IL on Sept. 16. "I’m feeling really confident about where I’m at already, so I’m going to trust the plan and expect to throw a few more games in the regular season and be ready for postseason."

Kyle Finnegan has Tigers fans feeling a whole lot better after comments on injury

Finnegan also said that he had not been shut down from throwing during his IL stint, so he will be able to "keep [his] arm going" – which should, in theory, help accelerate his recovery.

Since he arrived at the trade deadline, Finnegan has pitched 14 1/3 scoreless innings for the Tigers while striking out 19 and walking just three. Almost singlehandedly, he stabilized the part of the Tigers' roster that used to be their greatest problem area – and Detroit fans are relieved that he will be back in time to help lead their postseason push.

In the meantime, Will Vest will likely get the bulk of the save opportunities, while Tommy Kahnle and Rafael Montero may start taking over more high-leverage situations. Thanks to the expanded September rosters, the Tigers won't be going short in the bullpen, either; they'll still have an eight-man relief corps that includes rookie Troy Melton, and they'll be getting Chris Paddack back from the bereavement list this week.

That's not to mention Paul Sewald, who is also eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday. Even with Finnegan sidelined, Detroit isn't without options. Besides, it wouldn't be Tigers baseball without a little pitching chaos.

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