Veteran Tigers Reliever Nearing Return After Encouraging Rehab Outing

One thing that stands out about the 2026 Detroit Tigers is that the bullpen isn't very consistent. Going into the season with high expectations, signing veteran Kenley Jansen, extending Kyle Finnegan and having Will Vest, the bullpen has taken multiple hits.

Jansen holds a 3.98 ERA and almost blew the lead in the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. Finnegan may have a 3.49 ERA, but he holds a 1.57 WHIP and a 12.00 ERA in August alone. And Vest won't be returning to the bullpen this season following two surgeries.

Other bullpen arms, such as Enmanuel De Jesus and Drew Sommers, have shown signs of improvement, but the Tigers still need that one arm they can trust for the middle-to-late innings. Luckily for them, he might be nearing a return.

Brant Hurter Nearing Return to Detroit?

One of the more underrated arms for Detroit since 2024 has been Brant Hurter. He played a pivotal role for the miracle 2024 team and continued to impress in 2025 as well. His 2026 season has been cut short due to injury, but even in the games he's played for the Tigers, he's been one of A.J. Hinch's most reliable arms.

Before being placed on the 60-day injured list in late May with lumbar spine inflammation, Hurter posted a 2.84 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 25.1 innings. He also only allowed one home run before hitting the IL. The small sample size is proof enough that these Tigers could use their big lefty out of the bullpen, especially with the playoffs within reach.

This past Saturday, Hurter pitched one inning for the Toledo Mud Hens on his rehab assignment, allowing two hits, two runs, and one earned run, with one walk in 23 pitches. But it was his most recent outing that looked even more encouraging.

Hurter needed just eight pitches, five of which were strikes, to get through the inning scoreless on Wednesday night for the Mud Hens. The biggest concern, as noted by MLB.com's Jason Beck, is that Hurter's fastball was down in velocity, just 89.7 miles per hour. But that will likely increase over time.

MLB.com's Tigers injury report indicates that Hurter could be activated at some point this week, potentially for the upcoming series against the Chicago White Sox. If not, should the timeline change, he might join the club on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.

Add us as a preferred source on Google