TODAY: The Tigers have officially announced Hurter's contract selection. Left hand Sean Guenther optioned to Triple-A to replace Hurter on the active roster.
AUGUST 3: The Tigers plan to select the left-hander Brent Hurter to enter tomorrow's game against the Royals, AJ Hinch told reporters (including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic) earlier this afternoon. Hurter isn't on the 40-man roster yet, but the Tigers still have an open spot after being drafted. Mark Canha, Jack Flahertyagain Andrew Chaffin he left at the trade deadline so a corresponding move would only be needed to add the southpaw to the club's active roster.
Hurter, who turns 26 in September, was a seventh-round pick by the Tigers in the 2021 draft out of Georgia Tech. Hurter reached the Double-A level in his first professional season back in 2022 and continued to dominate the league in 2023, with a 3.28 ERA in 118 innings of work over 26 starts. He struck out 26.7% of the batters he faced while walking just 6.6%, but the rest couldn't carry that success over to Double-A over his first taste of Triple-A action this year. In 19 appearances (18 starts) in the majors in 2024, Hurter has pitched to a 5.80 ERA in 71 1/3 innings of work. His strikeout rate dropped to 21.7% and his walk rate slightly increased to 7.1%. Perhaps most notably, Hurter has struggled to keep the ball in the park as often as he did last year, allowing more home runs already this year than last year despite a nearly 50-inning gap in volume.
As he prepares for his MLB debut tomorrow, Stavenhagen notes that Hinch has made it clear that he will not start the game and will instead serve as a backup arm following the opener. Although Hurter has typically been used as a regular starter in the minors so far in his career, he had some success as a pinch hitter earlier this year, when he threw six scoreless innings in Triple-A against the Reds' Louisville team. coming in as a reliever in the third inning.
With a rotation combination that currently has only four pitchers (Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda, Bryan Samsonsagain Keider Montero), it wouldn't be surprising if a strong game from Hurter tomorrow earns him an extended look in the majors as the club tries to put together a rotation, whether it's in a right-handed starting role or just as a big arm. . The club's rotation depth has been hit hard in recent weeks between the deal that sent Flaherty to LA and recent injuries Reese Olson, Casey Mizeagain Matt Manning. There was a suggestion before the All-Star break that the right-hander Beau Brieske he might be considered for a rotation role in the second half, though that hasn't happened yet as he remains largely in a relief role out of the bullpen.
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