Lange, who walked a batter in a scoreless inning during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, now has eight free passes in six innings this spring.
Lange has also struck out eight and has limited batters to a .190 average in Grapefruit League action, so he's been pretty good when he's throwing strikes. The righty has had a BB/9 of 4.0 or higher in each of his two MLB seasons, and if that continues this year, he'll be a volatile fantasy asset. However, Lange appears to be Detroit's most likely option to begin the season as the closer, so there should be fantasy value here as long as he's converting saves.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Could be most likely closer option
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Lange is the most likely candidate to open the regular season as the Tigers closer, Cody Stavengagen of The Athletic reports.
While he doesn't expect manager A.J. Hinch to anoint a closer anytime soon, Stavenhagen believes Lange is best suited for the role due to his stuff and demeanor. It tracks with what the common perception has been regarding the Tigers' bullpen situation following the trades of Gregory Soto and Joe Jimenez. Lange's control can evade him at times -- and it has this spring with a 5:6 K:BB over four innings -- but he has swing-and-miss stuff and no platoon split. Hinch might not settle on one guy, but Lange does seem to be the best player for fantasy managers to target.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Path to saves appears
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Lange could have a path to the closer role in Detroit, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that Gregory Soto was traded to the Phillies on Saturday.
Lange has just one career save, and the Tigers have yet to announce their plans for the ninth inning, but the righty appears to be the logical choice with Soto, Joe Jimenez and Andrew Chafin all leaving this winter. Will Vest is the only Tiger remaining on the roster who saved any games last season, but his 4.00 ERA hardly turns heads. Lange managed a 3.41 ERA in his first full season and struck out 30.3 percent of opposing batters.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Secures win in relief
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Lange (7-4) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and earned the win Sunday against the Twins. He struck out two.
Lange has worked in a middle-relief role all season with no saves, though he's had some fantasy value with the seven wins, which are actually tied for the most on the team. Reliever wins are volatile, however, so it's unclear if Lange will maintain as much fantasy appeal in 2023 if he's still setting up Gregory Soto in the Detroit bullpen.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Takes loss Friday
Rotowire
Lange (4-3) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk across an inning of relief to take the loss Friday against the White Sox. He struck out one.
Daniel Norris and Jason Foley kept Chicago off the board for six innings, but Lange struggled in the seventh. It's the second time this month he's allowed two or more runs in an appearance, and his 9.00 ERA in August reflects those struggles. Lange has been better over the full season, however, with a 3.40 ERA and 60 strikeouts across 45 innings. Those 45 innings are a new career high at the major-league level, so it's possible his recent downward trend is at least partly due to fatigue.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Takes second loss
Rotowire
Lange (4-2) allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits while retiring just two batters to take the loss and a blown save Monday against the Twins.
Lange was tasked with the bottom of the 10th inning with the Tigers up 3-2, but the righty struggled. A Jose Miranda single with one out brought home the runner who started the frame on second. Then, two batters later, Gio Urshela ended the game with a walk-off, two-run home run. Lange has mostly pitched well, though Minnesota has touched him up for four earned runs in two appearances this past week. The 26-year-old still carries a solid 3.10 ERA despite the hiccup and should remain one of Detroit's top relief options.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Picks up win Thursday
Rotowire
Lange (3-1) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and earned the win Thursday against the Twins. He walked two and struck out one.
Lange was able to work around the two walks to tally his 10th scoreless appearance across his past 11 outings. The righty has been a bright spot for the 21-30 Tigers, as he now has a 1.74 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 26 strikeouts across 20.2 innings this season. Gregory Soto has also pitched well and seems decently secure in the closer role, but Lange should continue to see high-leverage work.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Gains traction in late innings
Rotowire
Lange struck out three and gave up no hits and one walk over 1.1 scoreless innings en route to claiming his fifth hold of the season Sunday in the Tigers' 4-2 win over the Guardians.
Three of Lange's holds have come in his last four appearances, as manager A.J. Hinch has elected to carve out a key late-inning role for the right-hander in light of his hot start to the season. Through 18 appearances spanning 15.2 innings, Lange has allowed three earned runs on seven hits and six walks while whiffing 19.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Should make bullpen
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Lange appears on track to make the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Lange made his MLB debut last season and pitched in 36 games for Detroit, recording a respectable 4.04 ERA to go with 39 strikeouts across 35.2 innings. The 26-year-old has minor-league options remaining, though it seems like he's secured his spot in the bullpen for now. Lange will probably work in front of the likes of Michael Fulmer and Gregory Soto, with the latter likely to gobble up most of the team's saves.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Earns win in relief
Rotowire
Lange (1-3) earned the win in relief Thursday against the Twins after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, fanning two.
Lange tossed a second straight scoreless outing and enjoyed a strong September, tossing 10 scoreless appearances out of 12 trips to the mound and racking up one save, three holds and a 2.03 ERA with a 13:3 K:BB across 13.1 innings. He's made 35 appearances on the year and owns a 4.08 ERA in that span, but he's ending the campaign with excellent results over the last few weeks.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Excelling in setup role
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Lange recorded a pair of holds during the Tigers' weekend series with the Rays, working 1.2 perfect innings between appearances Friday and Saturday.
Since his Aug. 22 call-up from Triple-A Toledo, Lange has seized a key setup role for Detroit. In his 12 appearances since his promotion, Lange has claimed three holds while turning in a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB. With Gregory Soto (finger) done for the season and Jose Cisnero (elbow) and Joe Jimenez (COVID-19) also on the injured list, Lange looks to be the next man up for saves behind newly minted closer Michael Fulmer.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Joins big club
Rotowire
The Tigers recalled Lange from Triple-A Toledo ahead of Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Lange will be back with the Tigers for the first time in just over a month after he was summoned from Triple-A as a replacement on the pitching staff for Wily Peralta (finger), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. According to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, Lange will likely be available out of the Tigers' bullpen just for Sunday; he's a prime candidate for a demotion ahead of Tuesday's two-game set in St. Louis, during which outfielder Akil Baddoo (concussion) will make his return from the IL.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Sent to Triple-A
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Lange was optioned to Triple-A Toledo after Tuesday's win over the Rangers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
The 25-year-old delivered a scoreless frame Sunday after being promoted and will return to the minors to make room on the big-league roster for Wednesday's starter Matt Manning. Lange has a 6.88 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB over 17 frames in the majors this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Starts rehab assignment
Rotowire
Lange (shoulder) reported to Triple-A Toledo to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday.
Lange landed on the injured list in mid-June with a strained right shoulder, but he's closing in on a return to the active roster. The 25-year-old should rejoin the Tigers after making a couple appearances with Toledo.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Bullpen session scheduled
Rotowire
Lange (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Sunday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Lange has already spent the required 10 days on the injured list. He'll need a bit more time before he's ready to be activated, but his return doesn't appear to be too far off. He's expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo early next week.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Placed on injured list
Rotowire
The Tigers placed Lange (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain.
Lange exited Monday's game after suffering the injury. The righty has been an oft-used yet unreliable relief option for the Tigers, posting a 7.31 ERA and allowing five home runs in 16 innings this season.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Likely headed to IL
Rotowire
Lange will likely require a stint on the 10-day injured list after leaving Monday's game against Kansas City due to shoulder discomfort, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The Tigers have yet to make the move official, but skipper A.J. Hinch stated after the game that there's a good chance Lange will need a trip to the injured list.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Nursing shoulder issue
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Lange left Monday's game against the Royals due to right shoulder discomfort, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Lange will be considered day-to-day until further notice. He's appeared in three contests since being recalled Thursday, allowing three runs over 2.2 innings.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Exits due to injury
Rotowire
Lange left Monday's game against the Royals due to an undisclosed injury, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Lange was visited by the team trainer in the fifth inning and ultimately had to leave the contest. Details on the injury have yet to surface.
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Tigers' Alex Lange: Called up to majors
Rotowire
The Tigers recalled Lange from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.
Derek Holland (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. With Detroit turning to Tyler Alexander to lead off a bullpen game in Thursday's series finale with the Mariners, Lange could get a chance to cover an inning or two in relief behind the lefty. Lange has previously made 15 appearances out of the Detroit bullpen this season, posting a 7.43 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 13.1 innings.
