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

Phew.

Emma Lingan

Detroit Tigers v Minnesota Twins / Stephen Maturen/GettyImages

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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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.