Finnegan has allowed two runs on three hits and a walk across 1.2 innings since coming off the injured list Friday.
After missing nearly a month due to a right groin strain, Finnegan has made two relief appearances, and he's been scored on each time. In Tuesday's loss to the Guardians, the righty came on in the seventh inning with an inherited runner on first and promptly allowed a double and a single to plate two Cleveland runs. Finnegan logged 12 straight scoreless outings for the Tigers before going down with his injury, so he may simply be dealing with some rust, but he should still see high-leverage work in the last few games of the regular season as Detroit fights for a playoff spot.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Officially activated
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The Tigers reinstated Finnegan (groin) from the injured list Friday.
Finnegan has sat out the entire month of September while dealing with a right groin strain. He made one rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, striking out one batter and walking another over two-thirds of an inning, and he now has the green light to return to Detroit's bullpen. The 34-year-old righty has pitched 14.1 shutout frames with a 19:3 K:BB since joining the Tigers at the trade deadline and could get save opportunities down the stretch.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Activation pending
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Finnegan (groin) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Finnegan said he is "ready to go" for Friday's contest. The 34-year-old right-hander has been on the shelf since the start of September due to a right adductor strain. He'll likely compete with Will Vest for saves during the closing days of the regular season.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Cleared for rehab appearance
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Finnegan (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Finnegan has missed most of September with a right adductor strain but has been cleared to test things out in a game setting. Given his brief absence, it could be the only rehab appearance Finnegan needs before returning to the Tigers' active roster. He's made 12 scoreless appearances and recorded four saves since being acquired by Detroit at the trade deadline.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Headed to IL
Rotowire
The Tigers placed Finnegan on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Sept. 1, with a right adductor strain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Finnegan suffered the injury while warming up in the bullpen Wednesday, and he'll require a stint on the injured list. Finnegan hasn't allowed a run since being traded from the Nationals to the Tigers, logging a 19:3 K:BB across 14.1 innings. Tommy Kahnle and Tyler Holton should serve in a setup role for closer Will Vest. Parker Meadows (quadriceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Dealing with groin issue
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Finnegan experienced right groin tightness while warming up in the bullpen during Wednesday's game against the Mets, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was preparing to enter the game in the seventh inning before cutting short his warmup routine. Finnegan has been a key high-leverage arm for the Tigers since being acquired from the Nationals on July 31, firing 14.1 scoreless innings over 12 appearances with a 19:3 K:BB, two holds, three wins and four saves. Should he end up missing significant time, Tommy Kahnle and Tyler Holton would likely step up as setup men for Will Vest.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Records win in relief Friday
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Finnegan (4-4) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Friday against the Royals. He walked one and struck out three.
Detroit starter Chris Paddack only lasted 3.2 innings, which led the Tigers to use four relievers. Finnegan was the second-to-last one used, picking up his fourth win of the season when Will Vest closed things out behind him in a 5-3 victory. Finnegan has been a strong addition to Detroit's bullpen, as he's yet to be scored on in 13.1 innings since joining the team at the trade deadline. He and Vest should continue to see save opportunities, giving both pitchers fantasy value moving forward.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Logs another save
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Finnegan earned a save against the Twins on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over one scoreless inning.
Finnegan inherited a three-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning, and he worked around a two-out infield single to secure the save. The veteran right-hander has yet to be scored upon since joining Detroit at the trade deadline, racking up 7.2 shutout frames with a 10:1 K:BB over seven appearances. Finnegan notched a save in his first three appearances with the Tigers, then went three consecutive outings without one as Will Vest picked up a pair of saves during that latter span. Vest got the final out of the seventh inning and worked the eighth against the top of the Twins' order, and he seems to be viewed as the higher-leverage option for manager A.J. Hinch -- which should result in more ninth-inning chances for Finnegan when Vest is needed earlier in the game.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Notches second save with Detroit
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Finnegan picked up the save in Monday's 6-3 win against Minnesota, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out two over a scoreless inning.
Finnegan worked around a one-out single by Royce Lewis to tally his 22nd save of the season. Despite not pitching since Saturday, Will Vest did not appear in this contest; however, he tossed 29 pitches across Friday and Saturday. Finnegan appears to have pulled ahead Vest as the primary saves option in Detroit, but the situation remains fluid given manager A.J. Hinch's proclivity to mix and match relievers based on matchups. In 41.1 total innings, Finnegan owns a 4.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB while converting 22-of-28 save chances.
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Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Earns first save with new club
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Finnegan earned a perfect four-out save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Phillies. He recorded one strikeout.
Primary closer Will Vest was brought in to face the top of the Philly order in the eighth inning but surrendered two runs and got the hook with a runner on and two outs. Finnegan shut the door from there, finishing the eighth and retiring the side in the ninth to notch his first save with the Tigers. The 32-year-old is now 21-for-27 in save chances this season while sporting a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB across 40.1 innings. He clearly remains in the mix for saves in Detroit, especially if Vest continues to be deployed in earlier high-leverage spots.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Rebounds for 19th save
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Finnegan earned the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Padres, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Finnegan was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning and needed just 10 pitches to do so. It was a strong rebound for the 33-year-old after surrendering eight runs over his previous two appearances, including a five-run loss Friday. He's now 19-for-25 in save chances this season with a 4.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB across 36 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Implodes in ninth inning
Rotowire
Finnegan (1-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.
Finnegan had strung together 8.1 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances, allowing just two walks in that span. It came crashing down quickly Saturday, as he allowed three straight batters to reach base, including a two-run double by Andrew Vaughn that tied the game. Caleb Durbin delivered the final blow with a walk-off single. Finnegan has blown his last three save chances dating back to June 10 -- his recent strong pitching has come in non-save opportunities for the 38-56 Nationals. That poor record as a team suggests there won't be many saves to come by for any member of this bullpen, though Finnegan is on a one-year deal in 2025 and could be moved at the trade deadline. He remains Washington's best bet to see saves for now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Blows second save in a row
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Finnegan was saddled with a blown save after allowing three runs on three hits, walking and striking out none, during Monday's 6-4 loss to the Rockies.
It was perhaps the worst outing of the season for Finnegan, allowing a season-high three runs and three hits. The 33-year-old has flirted with danger lately, allowing seven hits in his last five games, but this was the first time that he allowed a run credited to him over that stretch. The right-hander is now 18-for-23 on save opportunities for the season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches 18th save
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Finnegan struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 18th save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Rangers.
He had to navigate around a CJ Abrams throwing error, but Finnegan was up to the task. The right-hander is tied with Carlos Estevez for second in the league in saves behind Robert Suarez's 20, and Finnegan has been especially sharp since the beginning of May, posting a 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB over his last 11 innings while converting nine of his 10 saves chances.
Finnegan was unavailable for Saturday's game against the Giants due to shoulder fatigue, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Finnegan hasn't pitched since blowing a save against Atlanta on Thursday. He reported soreness in his shoulder following his last outing, but manager Dave Martinez said that imaging on his shoulder came back negative, and the 33-year-old righty is considered day-to-day for now.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 15th save
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Finnegan earned the save in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta, tossing a scoreless ninth inning without a hit, walk or strikeout.
All 10 pitches Finnegan tossed resulted in strikes as he was able to successfully defend the Nationals' two-run lead in the ninth. He's converted on each of his last six save opportunities, and his 15 saves are tied with Andres Munoz and Robert Suarez for most in the majors. Finnegan has a 2.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB across 17.2 innings this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Collects 12th save
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Finnegan recorded his 12th save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, giving up a run on two hits in the ninth inning without a walk or a strikeout.
There was drama right to the end of the matinee in a 10-9 win for the Nationals, as Finnegan gave up back-to-back singles and a sacrifice fly before getting Brayan Rocchio to line out to left field to end the contest. It's only the fourth time in 15 appearances that Finnegan has been tagged for a run, and through 14.2 innings he sports a 3.07 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB while converting 12 of 14 save chances.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures 11th save
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Finnegan struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Sunday to record his 11th save of the season in a win over the Reds.
The right-hander had trouble protecting a 4-1 lead, fanning Gavin Lux and Jose Trevino to end the game. Finnegan has been his usual reliable self as closer despite not re-signing with the Nationals until late February, converting 11-of-13 save chances with a 2.63 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB through 13.2 innings to begin the season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches save Tuesday
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Finnegan struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and earned a save against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Finnegan retired all three batters he faced to quickly close out the 3-0 victory. He's converted each of his six save chances this season and has thrown 4.2 consecutive scoreless frames. His ERA dropped to 1.17 with an 8:4 K:BB across 7.2 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Back in Washington on one-year deal
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The Nationals re-signed Finnegan to a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The Nationals non-tendered Finnegan back in late November to avoid giving him a big raise in arbitration, but he has found his way back to the club three months later on a salary similar to the $5.1 million he made in 2024. Finnegan will probably need some time to get back up to speed, but he immediately becomes the favorite for saves in a Washington bullpen lacking established late-inning options. The 33-year-old notched 38 saves last season, although that came with a relatively uninspiring 3.68 ERA and 60:24 K:BB over 63.2 innings.
