The Detroit Tigers seemingly came out of nowhere last season to get into the American League playoffs. With an unimpressive 62-66 record on August 22, 11 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central division and 9 1/2 behind the Kansas City Royals for the third and final Wild Card spot, the Tigers won eight of their next 10 games â and then 15 of their last 19 to move into the second Wild Card.
The Bengals then faced the Astros in the Wild Card series and swept them, on the road, in two games to end Houston’s extraordinary streak of seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series.
The Tigers bullpen played a crucial role in that season-ending playoff push, especially closer Jason Foley, an undrafted free agent signing for the Tigers in 2016. Foley then missed all of 2018 with Tommy John surgery, and like all other minor leaguers, he missed 2020 as well due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down minor league play and limited the big league season to 60 games.
Foley’s Fairy Tale Becomes a Nightmare
And yet, by 2024, Foley’s dramatic story had taken a fairy tale turn. He became the go-to closer out of Detroit’s bullpen for manager A.J. Hinch â saving 12 of those final 15 wins that propelled the Tigers into the postseason for the first time in a decade.
But the clock stuck midnight on Foley’s Cinderella tale all-too-quickly. After one shaky performance when he entered Game One of the Wild Card series with a three-run lead in the ninth inning but failed to retire any of the first three batters he faced, Hinch refused to go to him again, even as the Tigers were eliminated in five games by Cleveland in the AL Division Series round.
To start the 2025 season, Detroit stunningly demoted Foley â who finished 2024 with 28 saves, tied for fifth in the AL â to the minor leagues.
Foley was off to a good start with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, allowing no runs and just one hit in 6 2/3 innings over five games, and was expected to make his return to the big league roster “sooner rather than later,” according to a report by SI.com .
And then he got hurt.
On Thursday, the Tigers announced that Foley had begun experiencing “discomfort” in his right shoulder after an April 12 appearance. He had not pitched since and has now been placed on the injured list. When he will return to action remains uncertain.
âI feel for him because it comes at a time when he was starting to throw the ball pretty well and starting to look like the player we expected him to be this spring. Now he has this soreness,” Hinch said, as quoted by MLive.com . “Is it short-term or long-term? The doctors will let us know.â
Injury News Just Keeps Coming for Tigers
The Tigers have been slammed with a series of injuries at the start of the 2025 season, including to $15 million free agent pitcher Alex Cobb and three outfielders.
But the Tigers are also dealing with an injury to regular starting catcher Jake Rogers, who avoided arbitration before the season by agreeing to a $2.64 million contract for one year.
Rogers has been on the IL with an oblique strain since starting six of the Tigers first 10 games, and according to a Detroit Free Press report on Thursday, there is no timeline yet for his return.
Even with all of their injuries, the Tigers are off to a solid start and currently occupy first place in the AL Central, with a record of 11-8 heading into Friday’s game against Kansa City at Comerica Park.
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