Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris on bullpen market at trade deadline
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks July 31, 2025, about his evaluation of the bullpen market at the trade deadline.
Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Alex Lange is known for wearing a sleeveless turtleneck underneath his jersey during games.
“It’s back,” he said.
So is he.
The Tigers activated Lange from the injured list Monday, Aug. 18, before the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. To open a roster spot, the Tigers optioned left-handed reliever Bailey Horn to Triple-A Toledo.
Lange hasn’t pitched for the Tigers since May 22, 2024.
“I’m excited to be back here and in the locker room again,” Lange said before Monday’s game. “It felt like Christmas morning waking up. Being able to come here and put a jersey on tonight, it’s pretty cool.”
After activating Lange, the Tigers could’ve added him to the 26-man roster or optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers chose to put him in their bullpen because the Astros have nine right-handed hitters and one switch-hitter among their 13 position players.
It was a strategic move.
“We wanted to go right-handed against Houston, with all of their right-handed hitters,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Monday’s game. “The matchup, we got to throw as many different right-handed pitchers at the top of this lineup as we can.”
Lange bounces back for Tigers
Lange, 29, has spent the past 14 months recovering from a surgery to repair an avulsion in his right latissimus dorsi tendon. He underwent the surgery in late June 2024.
He made two separate rehab assignments, appearing in 17 games over a two-month span.
Lange posted a 7.27 ERA with six walks and 11 strikeouts across 8⅔ innings in his second rehab assignment, spanning 10 games − but his performance was perfect in his final four games: four scoreless innings, zero walks and six strikeouts.
“I’d like to say I’m going to be in the zone a little more,” Lange said, referencing his career-long strike-throwing struggles. “I know that’s what everybody wants to talk about. I feel like my stuff is there. I feel like the command of the ball is there.”
While rehabbing in Triple-A Toledo, Lange threw 45.3% curveballs, 34.1% sinkers, 14.5% changeups and 6.1% fastballs. His sinker averaged 95.7 mph and maxed out at 97.5 mph, and his curveball generated an elite 51.9% whiff rate.
Those are positive signs.
None of it matters if he fails to throw strikes.
“His stuff was trending up, which was great,” Hinch said. “He was bouncing back, which is probably the most important thing that cleared him from the rehab and into the competition.”
Lange roots for Tigers
When healthy, Lange racked up 26 saves in 32 opportunities as the Tigers’ closer in 2023, posting a 3.68 ERA with 45 walks and 79 strikeouts across 66 innings in 67 games.
Everything went downhill in 2024.
Before the lat injury, Lange registered a 4.34 ERA and squandered his role as the closer in 2024, responsible for 17 walks compared to 21 strikeouts over 18â…” innings in 21 games. The Tigers optioned Lange to Triple-A Toledo for performance reasons in May 2024, then he suffered the injury with the Mud Hens in June 2024.
“I don’t think I missed an inning over the last 14 months of baseball for the Tigers,” Lange said. “I’ve been the biggest fan of this team.
“My whole goal was to come back this year in whatever role I can give to this team, whatever innings I can give. I want to help however I can.”
Although the Tigers reinstated Lange from the 60-day injured list, a 40-man roster move wasn’t required because there were only 39 players on the 40-man roster.
The 40-man roster is now full.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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