Vest retired all four batters he faced to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Royals. He recorded two strikeouts.
Vest was summoned with a runner on third in the eighth inning and struck out Maikel Garcia before working a clean ninth. The 30-year-old has held opponents scoreless in eight of 10 August outings and now sports a 2.67 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 64:16 K:BB across 57.1 frames while converting 19 of 24 save chances. He continues to split closing duties with Kyle Finnegan, who was likely unavailable after throwing two innings Friday.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Earns sixth win Tuesday
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Vest (6-2) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Tuesday's 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Astros. He allowed a hit and struck out one.
Vest successfully navigated the top of the ninth and 10th innings, then earned the win when Gleyber Torres ended the game on a walk-off walk. The veteran reliever came into the season with only nine career wins at the MLB level, and his previous high in a season was three. Vest also leads the Tigers with 18 saves, and he's struck out 61 batters across 55 innings this year to go along with a strong 2.45 ERA, giving him plenty of fantasy value across the board.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Returns to setup role Saturday
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Vest tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Twins. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two.
Vest recorded the last out of the seventh inning and then worked the eighth against the top of Minnesota's order to earn his second hold of the season, with Kyle Finnegan covering the ninth for the save. Before Saturday, Vest had rattled off two straight saves, but Finnegan had three consecutive saves prior to that. It appears that both relievers will see ninth-inning work with Vest as the higher-leverage option, giving them each fantasy value but capping their respective ceilings. Vest still leads the Tigers with 18 saves in 23 opportunities.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Notches 18th save
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Vest struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 18th save of the season in a 1-0 win over the White Sox.
Kyle Finnegan worked the eighth inning against the bottom part of Chicago's order and got his first hold since coming over to Detroit, while Vest got the call in the ninth against the 9-1-2 hitters and got the job done on 11 pitches (six strikes). Vest has the Tigers' last two saves, but Finnegan got the three before that, and the duo could continue to split chances the rest of the way, with Vest perhaps being viewed by manager A.J. Hinch as the slightly higher-leverage option. On the season, Vest sports a 2.61 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 58:15 K:BB through 51.2 innings.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Picks up save Monday
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Vest tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to earn the save in Monday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.
Though Kyle Finnegan has seemingly taken over closing duties from Vest since joining the Tigers at the trade deadline, it was Vest working the ninth inning Monday with Finnegan taking the eighth. It was the first save for Vest since July 20 and his 17th this season in 22 chances. Both pitchers figure to see high-leverage work moving forward, and while Finnegan is the top reliever to target in Detroit's bullpen at the moment, Vest still has some fantasy value in his current role.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Bypassed in save opportunity Monday
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Vest was not used in Monday's 6-3 win over the Twins, with Kyle Finnegan instead recording the save for the Tigers with a clean ninth inning.
Finnegan, who came over from the Nationals in a trade last week, has now recorded Detroit's last two saves. Vest worked the eighth inning ahead of Finnegan on Saturday and then didn't appear the last two days, though he did log a total of 29 pitches across outings on Friday and Saturday. It appears that Finnegan might be moving ahead of Vest as the Tigers' top closing option, but the situation remains fluid as manager A.J. Hinch is known to mix and match at the end of games. At the very least, Vest's fantasy value has taken a hit with the arrival of Finnegan, as the former is no longer a lock to see save chances.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Struggles in eighth Saturday
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Vest worked the eighth inning of Saturday's 7-5 win over the Phillies and allowed two runs on three hits while retiring two batters via strikeout.
After seven strong innings from starter Tarik Skubal, Vest worked the eighth inning with the Tigers up 7-3. He came on to face the top of Philadelphia's order in Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, and Harper tagged him for a two-run home run. After Vest departed, the newly acquired Kyle Finnegan came on to record the final four outs and earn his first save with his new team. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch may mix and match with his revamped bullpen, and if Vest is used more frequently in high-leverage spots before the ninth inning, his fantasy value could take a hit due to a decrease in save opportunities.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Takes loss Saturday
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Vest (5-2) allowed two runs on three hits across an inning of relief to take the loss in Saturday's 6-1 defeat to the Blue Jays. He struck out one.
With the game scoreless through seven innings following a dazzling start by Tarik Skubal, Vest let things get away in the eighth. It was the first time the veteran righty had allowed more than one run in an appearance since June 15, and he had posted a stellar 0.96 ERA in nine games since then. Overall, Vest still has a solid 2.58 ERA across 45.1 innings this season to go along with 51 strikeouts, and he should be able to bounce back from the rough outing and get back to closing out games for the Tigers.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Nabs four-out save
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Vest picked up a four-out save, allowing one hit and one walk while also picking up a strikeout, during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
Vest worked more than an inning for the first time in his past nine appearances. The 30-year-old put out a fire in the bottom of the eighth, then worked around allowing a baserunner in the ninth on his way to his 14th save in 17 tries this year. The right-hander picked up at least one strikeout in his ninth straight outing for a total of 12 in his last 8.2 innings. Vest hasn't surrendered a run in five straight appearances, and his ERA is now at 2.25 for the season.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Collects 13th save
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Vest struck out one over a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Twins.
Vest retired the side on a tidy eight pitches (six strikes) to earn his first save since June 12 versus the Orioles. He had a pinkie finger injury between those saves, which led to a blown save June 15 versus the Reds, but he avoided the injured list and has since turned in three scoreless innings. Vest is up to 13 saves, two holds and three blown saves while posting a 2.37 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42:10 K:BB across 38 innings. Vest continues to hold an edge for saves over Tommy Kahnle, who worked the eighth inning Sunday.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Cleared to pitch
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Vest (finger) passed all tests and has been declared ready to pitch, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Vest was pulled from Sunday's appearance versus the Reds due to an injury to his right pinkie finger, but it appears he's already put the issue in the rearview mirror. The right-handed reliever leads the Tigers with 12 saves this season.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Expected to avoid injured list
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that he expects Vest (finger) to avoid a stint on the 15-day injured list, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Vest exited his appearance Sunday against the Reds after suffering an injury to his right pinkie finger. Hinch indicated that Vest still needs to be further evaluated, but initial tests on the reliever's injured digit didn't show anything overly worrisome. Vest leads the Tigers with 12 saves this season and has notched each of the team's last three saves. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. Tommy Kahnle would likely be next in line for saves if Vest is unavailable for a few days.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Getting pinkie checked out
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Vest dealt with a pinkie injury during his relief appearance in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Reds, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "[The pinkie] was bothering him, so we took him out. We'll get him evaluated, and he'll run through the whole battery of tests," Hinch said.
Vest -- who leads the Tigers with 12 saves -- entered Sunday's contest with a perfect 5-0 record but ended up taking the loss after he was unable to protect Detroit's 4-2 lead in the eighth inning. He retired just two of the six batters he faced and yielded three unearned runs on three hits. After he threw a wild pitch on his 28th pitch of the afternoon, Vest motioned to the dugout for a team trainer and was taken out, but it wasn't immediately known why he was removed from the contest until Hinch clarified the matter after the game. The Tigers should have a better idea on the severity of Vest's injury prior to Tuesday's game against the Pirates, but if the right-hander is down for a few days or requires a stint on the injured list, Tommy Kahnle would likely be next in line for saves.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Exits Sunday with injury
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Vest was removed during his appearance in the eighth inning of Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Reds due to an unspecified injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. He dropped to 5-1 on the season after retiring two of the six batters he faced and allowing three unearned runs on three hits.
Vest entered the game in a high-leverage spot in the top of the eighth, taking over with a runner on second base and no outs while the Tigers held a 4-2 lead. After allowing back-to-back base hits, Vest struck out Tyler Stephenson, then loaded the bases after Detroit was unable to record an out on a fielder's choice. Vest then allowed a game-tying sacrifice fly before Gavin Lux's single scratched through the go-ahead run. Vest remained in the game after Lux's base hit, but he uncorked a wild pitch that scored another run. The right-hander seemed to be in discomfort after the pitch and was lifted from the contest, though the Tigers didn't provide an immediate explanation for his removal. Manager A.J. Hinch will likely shed more light on Vest's situation after the game or when he meets with the media prior to Tuesday's series opener versus the Pirates.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Collects 12th save
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Vest tossed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts to earn the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Orioles.
Vest recorded his second save in the series against Baltimore and his 12th of the season as he keeps performing at a high level for the Tigers. The veteran righty lowered his ERA to 1.83, and he's struck out 36 batters in 34.1 innings. Vest has also easily set a new career high in saves, as he came into the year with only five saves at the MLB level across four seasons. Tommy Kahnle has been a reliable high-leverage arm out of the Detroit bullpen as well and has eight saves himself, but Vest has established himself as the top closing option due to his dominant work on the mound.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Secures 10th save
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Vest earned the save against the Cubs on Friday, allowing one hit across 1.1 scoreless innings.
Vest took over for Tarik Skubal in the eighth inning and needed 21 pitches to secure a four-out save. The 30-year-old has opened June with 4.1 scoreless frames after allowing runs in back-to-back outings to close May. On the season, he's 10-for-12 in save chances with a stellar 1.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 32:9 K:BB across 31.1 innings.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Secures ninth save
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Vest threw a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Royals.
Vest needed just nine pitches to secure his second save of the weekend. The right-hander has allowed only two earned runs over his past 10 appearances and has now converted five straight save chances. On the season, he's 9-for-11 in save opportunities with a 1.93 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 28 innings.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Notches eighth save
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Vest gave up a run on two hits while striking out one in the ninth inning Friday to record his eighth save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Royals.
It's the second straight appearance in which Vest has been charged with a run, but he held a 0.00 ERA in 12 May innings prior to that. The right-hander is the lead dog in the Tigers' closer committee right now, picking up three of the team's last four saves, and on the season Vest sports a 2.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 27 innings while converting eight of his 10 save chances.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Earns fifth save Sunday
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Vest tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout to record the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Despite not allowing a hit or a walk, Vest needed 24 pitches to retire three batters, but he still managed to earn his fifth save of the year in seven chances. The veteran righty is strengthening his hold on the top closer role in Detroit, as he now has a sparkling 1.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 25 strikeouts across 21.2 innings. Tommy Kahnle, who has five saves of his own this season, worked a clean eighth inning Sunday and will continue to be in the mix for saves moving forward.
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Tigers' Will Vest: Records another win Wednesday
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Vest (3-0) worked around two hits to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Wednesday's 6-5 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out one.
Vest now has two wins over his last four appearances out of the bullpen, and he's already tied his career high with three wins overall this season. The veteran righty has been locked in with a 1.80 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23 strikeouts across 20 innings. Vest has four saves as well, and while Tommy Kahnle is also in the mix at the end of games, the former has established definite fantasy value so far in 2025.