Brant

Hurter

Hurter landed on the injured list last week due to lumbar spine inflammation and now it looks like he’s going to be shelved for much longer than originally anticipated. Beau Brieske was activated from the 60-day injured list on Friday to take his spot on the club’s 40-man roster.

Hurter suffered the injury during Friday’s outing against the Orioles when he slipped and fell during his delivery due to wet conditions on the field. It’s unclear how long he’ll be shelved for. Ricky Vanasco was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to take his place in the Tigers’ bullpen.

It’s unclear exactly what the 27-year-old left-hander injured, but he slipped and fell during his delivery and then walked off the field very gingerly. The Tigers are already dealing with a plethora of injuries on their pitching staff, so losing Hurter for any length of time would be a major blow.

Hurter was the Tigers’ third pitcher of the game, entering in the third inning. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two while throwing just 38 pitches to get his 10 outs. We’d still like to see what Hurter could do as a regular starter, but outings like this are as close as he gets in Detroit. Since debuting in 2024, he’s 14-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 126 1/3 innings over five starts and 62 relief appearances.

Hanifee’s departure at the conclusion of spring training means Enmanuel De Jesus and Brant Hurter secure the final two spots in Detroit’s season-opening bullpen. The 27-year-old righty made a career-high 54 relief appearances for the Tigers last year, finishing with a solid 3.00 ERA and 40/14 K/BB ratio across 60 innings of work.

Hurter rejoins Detroit’s bullpen mix ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Guardians. The 27-year-old southpaw holds a strong 2.45 ERA across a career-high 58 2/3 innings over 38 appearances this season at the big-league level.

Hurter heads back to the minors after posting a rock solid 2.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 62/27 K/BB ratio across 58 2/3 innings (38 appearances, four starts) this season for Detroit. The fact that he’s been shipped out with those types of numbers tells fantasy managers how deep the Tigers’ bullpen is heading into the home stretch and postseason.

Brant Hurter will be the opener for Friday’s game. Montero worked behind an opener in his last outing as well, and it’s a way to keep the 24-year-old from seeing the Cincinnati lineup face the right-hander multiple times. He still has a chance to qualify for a win with the bulk assignment, but there are better streaming options for Friday’s slate.

It was Hurter’s first start of the year. He routinely went 4-5 innings as a bulk guy for the Tigers last season, but he’s yet to throw more than three innings in 14 appearances this season. The left-hander has a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings during 2025, and he’s come in at 2.40 in 71 1/3 innings since debuting last summer. He’d be just fine in an expanded role if the Tigers ever have the need.

Hurter replaced Tarik Skubal to begin the seventh and had a pretty easy time in allowing only a couple of singles and one walk over the rest of the game. It’s his second three-inning save already, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a few more, assuming that he isn’t eventually needed in the rotation.