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MINNEAPOLIS — Right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee has returned to the Detroit Tigers, immediately following the minimum 15-day stay in Triple-A Toledo.
The Tigers optioned Hanifee to the Mud Hens on Aug. 2, creating space on the roster for one of two new relievers acquired at the July 31 trade deadline.
By rule, Hanifee had to stay at the Triple-A level for 15 days.
“There were a lot of moving parts at the time which we sent him down,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He was having a good season. It wasn’t an option that involved a ton of development focus. We were kind of counting the days to get him back.”
The Tigers recalled Hanifee before the finale of a four-game series Sunday, Aug. 17, against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. To open a roster spot, the Tigers optioned left-handed reliever Brant Hurter to Triple-A Toledo.
Hanifee appeared in four games during his 15-day stint with the Mud Hens.
“This was the first day that Hanifee could come back after the option,” Hinch said before Sunday’s game. “Given where we’re at, we could bring Hanifee back and get him back in the mix, especially going into the Houston series.”
The Tigers demoted Hurter for a developmental reason.
In 2025, Hurter has a 2.45 ERA with 27 walks and 62 strikeouts over 58â…” innings in 38 games, which sounds good on the surface. His role is to throw strikes and dominate left-handed hitters, but lefties had a 11.5% walk rate against him, not including an abundance of hit-by-pitches.
Since June 21, the 26-year-old issued 16 walks and seven hit-by-pitches to both righties and lefties for a total of 23 free passes in 20 innings, despite a 2.70 ERA in those 16 appearances.
“We need to get Brant Hurter synced up,” Hinch said. “Even though he wasn’t giving up a ton of runs, he wasn’t executing where we needed him to and where he wants to be. He fully understood that he’s got to go get right and synced up.”
Hanifee, 27, has been one of the Tigers’ best relievers this season, registering a 3.10 ERA with 12 walks and 35 strikeouts across 52â…“ innings in 46 games.
The Tigers will rely heavily on Hanifee in their upcoming three-game series against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park, as the Astros’ 13 position players are comprised of nine right-handed hitters, along with three left-handed hitters and one switch-hitter.
Hanifee dominates righties.
The numbers don’t lie: Right-handed hitters have a .212 batting average with a .515 OPS against Hanifee, while left-handers are hitting .403 with a 1.094 OPS.
“We can configure the bullpen in a lot of different ways and feel equally as comfortable,” Hinch said, just three days after the Tigers called up left-handed reliever Bailey Horn to help with the flurry of left-handed hitters on the Twins’ roster. “I don’t know that every team can say that. I do think it’s a way for us to try to maximize the impact of a bullpen that’s always evolving.”
A stellar outing for Brenan Hanifee last night striking out the side in a clean inning! All 3 batter were left handed and he collected 5 whiffs during his outing pic.twitter.com/QktPf88E1l
— Spenser Davis (@SpenserDavis6) August 14, 2025
From June 1 to Aug. 2, the Tigers’ bullpen ranked 27th in MLB with a 5.07 ERA, but in that two-month stretch, Hanifee had the best performance among the qualified relievers, with a 2.92 ERA.
That’s why it was surprising when the Tigers demoted Hanifee on Aug. 2 after the trade deadline, especially since they designated right-handed reliever Luke Jackson for assignment just six days after optioning Hanifee to Triple-A Toledo.
It was a puzzling roster decision.
But Hanifee handled it like a professional.
“Our guys are on board,” Hinch said. “We’ve expanded this pitching staff, so this has happened a few times, and if the guys focus on what they can control, they’re going to be really good. Hanifee is a perfect example of that. Other than the early morning flight, that’s about the only issue that came out of that.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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