The Tigers optioned Lange to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was reinstated from the 60-day IL this week and delivered a scoreless frame in his first MLB appearance since May of 2024, but he won't retain his spot in Detroit's bullpen. Drew Sommers was called up Friday to fill Lange's place on the roster.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Ready for 2025 debut
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The Tigers reinstated Lange (lat) from the 60-day injured list Monday.
Lange will return to the Detroit bullpen for the first time since May 2024, after facing a long road back from the right lat surgery he underwent last July. The right-handed reliever has experienced a couple setbacks this season and had been pulled off a rehab assignment shortly before the All-Star break, but he returned to action for Triple-A Toledo on July 20 and allowed just one earned run in 6.2 innings over his final seven appearances to earn himself another opportunity with the big club. The Tigers opened up a spot in the bullpen and on the 26-man active roster for Lange by optioning left-hander Bailey Horn to Triple-A.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Resumes rehab stint
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Lange (lat) made rehab appearances for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday and Wednesday, allowing a run on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts across 1.2 innings of work.
The next step in Lange's recovery from June 2024 surgery to address a right lat avulsion is to pitch in consecutive games, something he hasn't done yet in 2025. The righty is at least trending in the right direction, but given his long layoff as well as strong seasons from Detroit relievers Will Vest, Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter, Lange may have a hard time making much of an impact at the MLB level this year.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Resuming rehab stint
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Lange (lat) is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Toledo on Saturday as part of his rehab assignment, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Lange was pulled off his rehab assignment July 8 with mild tightness in his right lat, but he's been cleared to resume his minor-league stint. He made seven appearances before being pulled off the assignment, allowing one run over 6.2 innings. The 29-year-old has yet to make his 2025 debut, but it looks like he's getting close.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Pulled off rehab assignment
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Lange has been pulled off his rehab assignment due to mild tightness in his surgically repaired right lat, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that "it's not a setback" with Lange, but "just a delay." Lange has allowed just one run with a 9:1 K:BB over 6.2 rehab innings and seems close to activation from the 60-day injured list, but now his timeline is up in the air.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Sharp in rehab appearance
Rotowire
Lange (lat) tossed a perfect inning of relief with two strikeouts to begin the next phase of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.
Lange was shut down for the season last June after undergoing surgery on his right lat, and he's been on the 60-day injured list since the offseason, so the Tigers will likely proceed cautiously with his rehab program. He started his assignment by making two appearances for High-A West Michigan earlier this month and will now spend some time with the Mud Hens ramping up. The righty could eventually give Detroit another arm for its bullpen, though his struggles with control persisted in 2024, walking 17 batters in 18.2 major-league innings before eventually getting demoted to Triple-A and then getting injured. He's walked at least four batters per nine innings in each of his four MLB seasons and will need to improve in that area to stick with the Tigers.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Cleared to face hitters
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Lange (lat) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Lange appears to be nearing a rehab assignment as he recovers from right lat surgery and more recently upper-arm inflammation. The reliever has not pitched in a game in nearly a year, so his rehab assignment will likely be a lengthy one.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Set to throw bullpen
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Lange (lat) is scheduled to complete a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Lange was shut down from throwing after experiencing upper-arm inflammation back in early April, but the issue seems to have subsided. The 29-year-old will likely have to complete multiple bullpen sessions before being cleared to face hitters and eventually go on a rehab assignment. He's recovering from lat surgery he underwent in July.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: In midst of shutdown period
Rotowire
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: Serious injury feared
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: Records another save Sunday
Rotowire
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.
