#kyle-finnegan

#kyle-finnegan

The day we realized that Finnegan might be a fixture in a high-leverage relief role was when he struck out the side against the Angels. In a game early in 2022, the Nationals had a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning, but the top of the lineup was due up for the Angels. That meant someone had to face the star-studded trio of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and former Nationals standout Anthony Rendon.

At the earliest, Finnegan could return Sept. 16 for the Tigers' opener of a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park, but the 34-year-old might need more than the minimum stay on the injured list. "It's mild, which is a good sign," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. "The only way to strengthen and rehab this is to have a little period of shutting down games.

Eugenio Suárez has been on fire at the plate over the past year-plus, with 59 home runs and a .281/.336/.611 batting line since July 7th of last year.