Kyle Finnegan closes out Royals on Thursday

There’s a lot to unpack here. Kyle Finnegan came on to put out a sixth-inning fire and recorded four outs earlier in the contest while Detroit was leading by four runs. Vest was summoned to get the final two out of the eighth inning before coming back out to toss a perfect ninth for his first save of the year. It seems like Kyle Finnegan will be Detroit’s preferred closing option while Kenley Jansen (groin) is on the injured list, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Vest got a few chances as well.

Finnegan came on to protect a two-run advantage in the ninth and got into trouble as he allowed two consecutive one-out singles that put runners on the corners. The White Sox then dropped down a sacrifice bunt to score the tying run. Finnegan escaped further damage, but the Tigers went on to lose in the 10th as Drew Anderson blew another one-run lead. The Tigers’ bullpen is in complete shambles at the moment.

Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest would appear to be the options to replace Jansen, with Finnegan the vastly preferred one since he’s pitching much better at the moment. It wouldn’t be surprising if this became a committee while Jansen is out. There’s no word yet on how long we should expect Jansen to miss, but it wouldn’t be surprising if this injury knocked him out longer than the minimum stay on the injured list.

Jansen was checked on by a trainer early on while protecting a four-run lead in the ninth inning, but managed to stay in the contest. He recorded two quick outs before issuing a four-pitch walk to Mike Trout, which led to his removal from the contest. Brenan Hanifee came on to record the final out following his departure. The 38-year-old veteran stopper will undergo further evaluation and possibly imaging to determine the severity of the issue. Kyle Finnegan would be the next man up should Jansen require a trip to the injured list.

Kyle Finnegan, who notched a save on Thursday in place of Jansen, seems like the clear favorite to take over temporarily as Detroit’s closer since Will Vest is hitting the injured list with forearm inflammation. The 38-year-old veteran stopper hasn’t pitched since surrendering a walk-off homer to Matt Olson in a blown save against the Braves on Wednesday. It’s possible this turns into an injured list situation if Jansen isn’t ready to pitch early next week. Certainly, Finnegan should be picked up in all fantasy leagues.

Finnegan threw 29 pitches on Wednesday, but the Tigers asked him for 17 more on Thursday and he delivered. The appearance lowered his ERA on the year to 0.57, though his underlying metrics are quite shaky. Kenley Jansen has taken the loss in his past two appearances, including a blown save on Wednesday, so the ninth inning could be more of a committee going forward. Drew Anderson is the only other Tigers pitcher with a save this season, but that was of the three-inning variety.

“I think we can pretty much guess how it’s going to go, given that one of them a historic number of saves on his resume,” Hinch said while discussing the ninth on Tiger Territory. Jansen has said he wasn’t promised anything ahead of signing with the Tigers in December, but he has, of course, been a full-time closer since 2012, and he’s fourth all-time with 476 saves. The primary alternatives in the ninth would be Will Vest, who had 23 saves for the Tigers last season, and Kyle Finnegan, who has 112 career saves.

11 days after being agreed to, Finnegan’s contract is finally official. He’s become accustomed to closing with the Nats, but he’ll probably do more setting up for the Tigers with both Kenley Jansen and Will Vest in the fold.

Detroit continues fortifying their high-leverage mix with Jansen joining Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest as ninth-inning options for manager A.J. Hinch. The 38-year-old veteran enters next season just 24 saves shy of the 500 mark after converting 29 chances to accompany a strong 2.59 ERA — 3.98 FIP — and 24.4 percent strikeout rate across 59 innings for the Angels this past season. It’s a phenomenal landing spot from a fantasy perspective as Jansen projects as the clear favorite to handle closing duties with Finnegan and Vest positioned as contingency plans rather than true competition.

Finnegan returns to the Motor City after a dominant post-deadline stint in which he posted a microscopic 1.50 ERA (1.97 FIP) and a 34.8 percent strikeout rate across 18 innings over 16 appearances. That level of dominance is almost certainly a small-sample outlier compared to his larger career body of work, which includes a strong 3.66 ERA (4.17 FIP) and 108 saves across 329 1/3 innings for the Nationals over a six-year span since 2020. However, Detroit still offers his clearest path to a ninth-inning role — and, by extension, sustained fantasy relevance — as he enters his mid-30s. He’ll presumably have an opportunity to overtake incumbent stopper Will Vest as the Tigers’ primary closer and profiles as a top-20 range option at the position heading into next season.