Detroit Tigers Get Tremendous News on Injury Status of Star Reliever Will Vest
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The Detroit Tigers appear to have caught a major break in the injury department after a serious scare this week.
According to A.J. Hinch himself as well as various reports including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Tigers star reliever Will Vest is going to avoid a stint on the injured list after he was taken out of Sunday's game with a finger issue.
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During the loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Vest got the hook from Hinch after dealing with what the manager described as a "feeling in his pinky."
Hinch would only say the fact that Vest was going to go through the battery of tests and be evaluated, making it sound like the IL was a likely.
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Instead, Vest told media ahead of the team's first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates that he is "back to normal" and it sounds like he should be a full go.
Vest has been the team's best and most consistent reliever throughout the season, pitching to a 2.57 ERA and 0.971 WHIP over 32 appearances while racking up a team-leading 12 saves in just 15 opportunities.
Though he has not been named the official closer, the 30-year-old has certainly done his best impression of one and helped Detroit win a lot of games.
The Tigers are still expected to be involved in the reliever market at next month's trade deadline, potentially taking some of the pressure of Vest and allowing the team to move him into a setup role.
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If he did miss real time though, the need was only going to grow more urgent.
Keeping Vest on the field and healthy is absolutely critical for this bullpen right now, and it seems as of now Detroit has been able to do just that.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.