The Tigers announced Tuesday that Lange (lat) has been shut down from throwing temporarily and will complete a period of rest after he recently experienced increased upper-arm inflammation, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Lange is in the midst of a rehab program for the right lat surgery he underwent last June, so it's less than ideal that he's contending with another arm-related issue during the ramp-up process. On the positive side, Lange wasn't recommended any further treatment for the arm inflammation after seeking multiple medical opinions, so the Tigers are hopeful that rest will be enough to resolve the issue. A timeline for Lange's return likely won't be established until he reaches the point in his rehab that he's facing live hitters, but he won't be available to make his 2025 Tigers debut until at least late May after being placed on the 60-day injured list during spring training.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Placed on 60-day IL
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The Tigers placed Lange (lat) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Lange hasn't suffered any setbacks since beginning a throwing program in December and has worked up to throwing off a mound twice per week. Still, he will need a while yet before he is ready to return from lat surgery. His roster spot will be given to John Brebbia, who signed a one-year deal with the Tigers on Wednesday.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Throwing off mound
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Lange (lat) is throwing two bullpen sessions per week, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Lange underwent right lat surgery last July. It's uncertain when he might be ready to pitch in games, but he would appear to have a good shot to be ready for Opening Day. Lange will be competing for a spot in the Tigers' bullpen, though he does have minor-league options remaining.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: On outside looking in?
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Lange (lat) may not make Detroit's Opening Day bullpen, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The Tigers have added some pitching depth in the offseason, including Tommy Kahnle, who figures to secure a bullpen spot out of the gates. Kenta Maeda may also shift to the bullpen, with Alex Cobb added to the rotation. These developments could push Lange out, especially because he's recovering from June lat surgery and still has minor-league options remaining. The righty led Detroit with 26 saves just two years ago but has seemingly fallen out of favor. Control has always been an issue for Lange, and he walked 17 batters in only 18.2 MLB innings last season, making him a risky bullpen option.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Participates in throwing program
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Lange (lat) is playing catch from 120 feet, three times per week.
Lange underwent surgery on his right lat in June, which forced him to miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander's ability to be playing catch at this point is a positive sign for his chances to participate in spring training in a couple months. Lange appeared in 21 games out of the bullpen with Detroit last season, producing a 4.34 ERA and 1.77 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 18.2 innings and he figures to operate in a similar role in 2025.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Set for surgery
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Lange was diagnosed Tuesday with a right lat avulsion and is scheduled to undergo surgery next week, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Lange suffered the injury in his appearance with Triple-A Toledo on Friday. The 28-year-old opened the 2024 campaign in Detroit's major-league bullpen before being sent down in late May, compiling a 4.34 ERA and 1.77 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 18.2 innings in 21 appearances with the Tigers. An exact timetable for Lange's return will likely be provided following the surgery, but he's set to be placed on the minor-league injured list in the near future and could be at risk of missing the rest of the season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Serious injury feared
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Lange was removed from an appearance at Triple-A Toledo on Friday due to an upper-body injury, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Lange made the Tigers' Opening Day roster and owned a 4.34 ERA in 18.2 innings before being sent to Toledo. He signaled to the dugout immediately after throwing a pitch Saturday and was grabbing at his side. Lange underwent an MRI on Saturday, and while the Tigers have yet to reveal the results of the test, early indications are that Lange sustained a severe injury.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Demoted to Triple-A
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The Tigers optioned Lange to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.
A day after allowing four earned runs in one inning during Wednesday's loss to the Royals, Lange will be sent to Triple-A in order to get back on track. The 28-year-old owns a 4.34 ERA and 1.77 WHIP alongside a 21:17 K:BB through 18.2 innings this season, and he figures to return to Detroit's bullpen once he starts turning in promising results with Toledo. In the meantime, Mason Englert will come up from Triple-A to take Lange's place.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Suffers loss Wednesday
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Lange (0-2) allowed an unearned run on one hit to take the loss in Wednesday's 5-4, 10-inning contest against the Guardians.
After recording the final out of the ninth inning, Lange had the unenviable task of pitching the bottom of the 10th in a tie game with a runner starting on second base. The righty retired the first batter but then allowed a walk-off hit to Brayan Rocchio. There shouldn't be too much read into the loss, and Lange has pitched well all season, as he's sitting with a stellar 0.64 ERA across 14 innings. Lange should continue to see high-leverage work for the Tigers moving forward, and he could slide back into the closer role at some point if he keeps up the strong play.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Snags second save
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Lange earned the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals, recording two strikeouts and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings.
Lange struck out Willson Contreras for the final out in the eighth inning before closing the door in the ninth, working around a two-out walk to Paul Goldschmidt for his second save this season. Jason Foley was likely unavailable Wednesday after pitching three of the last four days, though Lange has continued to pitch well in a set-up role -- he's held opponents scoreless in his last 7.2 innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out nine in that span. The 28-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.75 with a 1.17 WHIP 16:9 K:BB across 12 innings this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Looks better Thursday
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Lange tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in a Thursday Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays, lowering his spring ERA to 12.00.
Lange has pitched in three Grapefruit League games and this was his first time not allowing a run. It's not a great start to spring training for the righty, though he figures to have a fairly firm hold on Detroit's closer role heading into the regular season. Lange recorded 26 saves last year and had 79 strikeouts across 66 innings, though he struggled with command at times, walking a whopping 45 batters.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Secures save in season finale
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Lange allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Guardians. He struck out two.
Lange finished his 2023 campaign on a high note, recording his 26th save in 32 chances to go with a 3.68 ERA. The righty endured some rough patches in his first season as Detroit's closer, particularly when his command eluded him, though he exhibited dominant stuff with 79 strikeouts across 66 innings. Lange also looked sharper down the stretch, posting a 2.70 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 13.1 innings in September and October. For the moment, he looks like the favorite to close out games for the Tigers again in 2024.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns four-out save
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Lange allowed a hit in 1.1 scoreless innings Sunday. He struck out two and picked up a save over the Athletics.
Lange allowed a leadoff double to Shea Langeliers in the ninth inning but needed just 16 pitches to record four outs and close out the 2-0 win. Lange blew two of his previous three save chances entering Sunday's game. He now has 25 in 31 opportunities alongside a 3.84 ERA and a 76:44 K:BB this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Falters again Tuesday
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Lange (7-5) took the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, allowing one run on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman over one inning.
Lange entered in the eighth inning and allowed a runner inherited from Jason Foley to score the tying run. In the ninth, Lange gave up a walk-off single to Max Muncy to complete the collapse. Lange has blown saves in two of his last three appearances. He's now at a 3.92 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 74:44 K:BB through 62 innings this season while going 24-for-30 in save chances.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Records another save Sunday
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Lange pitched a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.
For the second day in a row, Lange shut down Chicago in short order to record a save. The righty now has 23 saves this season, with four of them coming this month. Lange hit a rough patch when he struggled with control earlier this year, but he has seemingly righted the ship, and he could be poised for a strong finish to the season given his recent form.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Secures 22nd save Saturday
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Lange tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox. He struck out two.
Lange has had a few hiccups here and there this season, though he now has 22 saves in 26 chances to go along with a decent 3.63 ERA. The righty has been scored upon only once in his last 12 appearances, and he has a 2.25 ERA during the stretch. Lange should remain locked in as Detroit's closer during the final weeks of the year.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Notches 20th save
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Lange allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save against the White Sox on Friday. He struck out one.
Lange worked around a leadoff single and needed just nine pitches to close out the 4-2 victory. It was a strong rebound after he coughed up three runs and blew a save against the Yankees on Thursday, which ended a stretch of seven straight scoreless outings. He's now 20 for 24 in save chances while registering a 3.86 ERA across 53.2 frames.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns win Friday
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Lange (6-3) worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and earn the win Friday against the Astros.
Lange worked the ninth in a 1-1 tie and managed to not let a walk hurt him. The righty then earned the win when Parker Meadows smashed a walk-off home run in the bottom half of the frame. After some control issues led to a rough patch earlier in the month, Lange has been better lately, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings over his last six appearances with only three walks. He also appears to have regained the ninth-inning role in Detroit, with two saves and a win in his last three outings.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns 18th Save
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Lange pitched a clean ninth to pick up the save in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Guardians.
Entering with a three-run cushion, Lange needed just 12 pitches to finish off the Guardians for his 18th save. This was the sixth consecutive appearance for Lange in which he didn't allow a hit, but more notable is that he also didn't allow a free pass after having walked 11 batters in his previous five innings. He now holds a 3.70 ERA to go along with a 1.36 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Skipped again for save chance
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Lange was not used in a save opportunity Friday against the Guardians and seems to have ceded the job to Jason Foley.
Foley allowed a run but still managed to convert the save in a 4-2 win over Cleveland in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. He's recorded Detroit's last two saves, and it seems like that's pushed Lange out of the closer role for now. The latter's demotion is warranted, as Lange has struggled with control this month, walking 10 batters in just 4.1 innings. If Lange can limit the free passes moving forward, it's possible he re-emerges as the team's closer.
