CLEVELAND – Better late than never.
Lefty Brant Hurter, a vital piece of the Tigers’ bullpen the last two seasons, was activated off the injured list Sept. 6.
“We’ve finally got nine relievers,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We haven’t had that in a while.”
It was a pretty nice birthday present for Hurter, who turned 28 Sunday. He has been out since May 23 with lumbar spine inflammation. He’s been healthy for several weeks but his rehab assignment was extended to eight outings with Triple-A Toledo because of performance issues.
He struggled to get his velocity back over 90 mph on his sinker. But he seemed back to form in his last two outings.
“He threw a ton of strikes in his last outing,” Hinch said. “Which really prompted us to give him the opportunity and give him the test. We feel he’s healthy and he’s worked his way back. The strike-throwing will be key for him. The level change will give him a boost to give him a tick or two (on his velocity).
“But he doesn’t need more velo as much as he needs location and angle. He had his slider working in his last outing. He threw some nasty ones to lefties. We saw that and decided we wanted him in our mix.”
To clear the spot on the roster, rookie lefty Andrew Sears, coming off a strong outing against the Guardians Friday in his first big-league start, was optioned to Toledo.
“There’s still time this season and we expect him to get another opportunity,” Hinch said. “But where we are this year and where he is in his year, and we obviously pushed him pretty hard the other day (career-high 93 pitches) and we need an extra reliever with the bullpen being pretty taxed.”
Hinch said Sears took the news like a pro.
“I just encouraged him,” Hinch said. “This is part of being a young pitcher. We’re in September and there are different actions for different reasons. I told him just to stay positive and get his work in. We do have time.”
Hinch also announced that outfielder Matt Vierling, who has been out with groin and heel injuries, was placed on the 60-day out, effectively ending his season.
Vierling, a catalyst in the Tigers’ playoff run in 2024, was limited to 31 games in 2025 and he struggled to get his legs under him this season. He slashed .207/.255/.335 in 91 games.
@cmccosky
Series: Three games at Comerica Park
First pitch: Monday – 3.10 p.m.; Tuesday – 6:40 p.m.; Wednesday – 1:10 p.m.
TV/radio: Monday-Wednesday — Detroit Sports Net, 97.1
Probables: Monday – TBA vs. RHP Troy Melton (7-4, 2.20); Tuesday – TBA vs. RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.73); Wednesday – TBA vs. Keider Montero (9-8, 3.52).
The Twins have not announced their pitching plan.
Melton, Tigers: He’ll get a shot at redemption against a Twins lineup that frustrated him at Target Field on Sept. 1. Kody Clemens and Royce Lewis both homered against him. He also uncharacteristically walked four. The seven runs (five earned) is the most he’s allowed in his young career.
— Chris McCosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers transactions: Hurter active, Sears optioned, Vierling’s season over
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