Tigers Underrated Signing Set To Begin Bullpen Sessions, Could Return This Year

The Detroit Tigers are expected to be contending for an American League pennant down the stretch and into October, meaning they will need all hands on deck for a late-season push.

Coming out of a first half that has been one of the best in the history of the franchise, there are legitimate World Series aspirations in Detroit. As a result, the Tigers are expected to add aggressively at the trade deadline to some of their weaker areas, however they may get an internal boost down the stretch which they did not expect.

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A couple of weeks before the season started, Detroit signed former Houston Astros right-hander José Urquidy to a Major League contract worth $1 million for 2025 and a club option for $4 million next season.

At the time, the deal felt like it was all about next season as Urquidy continues to recover from Tommy John surgery he underwent last June, from an injury which caused him to miss the entire year.

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As Urquidy has recovered though, he seems closer to a return to the mound than many may have initially thought, and a massive update this week revealed he is going to start throwing bullpen sessions with the team at the facility as he continues to rehab.

"He's going to help us at some point, and it's important for him to feel included and be a part of this team -- because he is a part of this team," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said via Evan Woodbery of MLive on Urquidy rehabbing in Detroit.

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Hinch went on to bring up the fact that that Urquidy started and won a World Series game for him back in 2019, which makes him a bit biased, but the 30-year-old has excelled on the biggest stages and clearly the Tigers feel he can help.

Whether or not Urquidy could actually return late this season and be productive remains to be seen, but the original timeline -- which he seems to be on track of -- had him set to get back on the mound by late August or early September.

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Urquidy's last full season as a starter was in 2022 where he had an ERA of 3.94 and WHIP of 1.168 with a 13-8 record over 29 appearances (28 starts).

If he can get back to that kind of form from before the injury, not only is he going to be a huge part of the plan for next season as expected, but he could be a major factor this October for Detroit as well.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.