Tigers anxiously await Will Vest news after troubling pull in finale vs. Reds

When Will Vest entered Sunday's game against the Reds in the top of the eighth with one out, the Tigers were in a good position to steal a series win despite an 11-1 blowout the night before. Gleyber Torres had hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, then Riley Greene extended the lead with a double to score Torres. With Vest's utter dominance this year, it stood to reason that he'd be able to handle the rest of the game without much issue.

However, Brant Hurter didn't set the table well, and a throwing error to first allowed TJ Friedl to reach and then go to second before the Tigers called Vest in. Matt McLain singled to put runners on the corners, then Elly de la Cruz singled to score Friedl. Three more runs scored to give the Reds a 6-4 lead, one thanks to an error for Gleyber Torres, and then a wild pitch from Vest.

After the wild pitch, Vest motioned to the dugout and was attended to by a trainer, and that was the end of his day. In the postgame, AJ Hinch said that the issue was likely with his pinky, and the Tigers are still waiting on testing results.

Will Vest exited appearance in Tigers-Reds finale with apparent pinky injury

Losing Vest, who's become the Tigers' closer since Jason Foley was demoted to start the season, could be catastrophic for the bullpen. While Tommy Kahnle has also been doing great work in late innings and has just four fewer saves than Vest, Vest has taken on the bulk of finishing duties. The Tigers pitching has been solid, but a surplus of late-inning, high-leverage pitchers has been an existing weakness for the roster.

The Tigers' rotation has also suffered its fair share of injuries, with the announcement of Jackson Jobe's Tommy John and Reese Olson still rehabbing from a finger issue himself.

Veteran reliever John Brebbia was also DFA'd on Sunday. Brebbia wasn't and wouldn't have been much help with late innings anyway, but his replacement in Tyler Owens still only has two major league innings under his belt and can't necessarily be trusted in tight games yet.

If Vest does need an IL stint, the Tigers should get moving on reinforcements now and shouldn't wait for the trade deadline. If the Rafael Devers trade was any indication, trade season starts right now.