Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Continues strong play Friday
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Kahnle worked around a hit to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn a hold in Friday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.
Kahnle has been excellent in his first season with the Tigers, as he's only allowed one earned run through 14 appearances, which has left him with a miniscule 0.61 ERA. The veteran righty recorded his third hold of the year Friday with Will Vest picking up his fourth save. Kahnle has five saves of his own to lead the team, and while Vest looks like the top closing option at the moment, both pitchers could continue to see ninth-inning work moving forward.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Secures fifth save
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Kahnle earned the save Wednesday against the Astros after giving up a walk and no hits across 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two.
Kahnle recorded the final out of the eighth inning and returned for the ninth, when he retired the side in order. It's the first save since April 18 for the right-hander, while Will Vest went 3-for-4 in save chances during that 11-day stretch. Vest appears to be the current favorite at closer given the recent usage, but Kahnle remains in the mix and has gone 5-for-6 in save opportunities with a 0.77 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 11.2 innings this year.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Notches save No. 4
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Kahnle struck out a batter and gave up a walk in two-thirds of an inning to collect his fourth save of the season in Friday's 7-3 win over the Royals.
The Tigers put Kenta Maeda on the mound with a 7-1 lead to begin the ninth inning, but he was pulled after allowing a run and loading the bases while recording just one out. Kahnle then took the hill and walked the first batter he saw to make it a 7-3 ballgame, but the 35-year-old bounced back by striking out Cavan Biggio and getting Drew Waters to line out, putting an end to Friday's festivities. With four saves on the year, Kahnle has seemingly taken a firm hold of the closer job in Detroit and now owns a 1.17 ERA and 0.52 WHIP through 7.2 innings.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Logs third save
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Kahnle tossed two scoreless innings in Thursday's 6-1 win over Kansas City to earn his third save of the season.
Kahnle inherited two baserunners when he was called in for the eighth inning with Detroit leading 4-1, but he was able to force two-straight groundouts (the first of which resulted in a double play) to get out of the frame unscathed. After the Tigers tacked on two insurance runs, he came back out for the ninth inning and needed just nine pitches to retire the side and register his third save of the 2025 campaign. Kahnle has a 1.29 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 5:0 K:BB across seven innings, as he has settled into the closer role.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Converts second save
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Kahnle allowed a run on three hits and struck out one without walking a batter over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Twins.
Kahnle gave up a run for the first time in five innings this season. Ty France connected for a two-out single in the ninth inning, but Kahnle got Mickey Gasper on a groundout to end the threat. Friday's outing wasn't the best show of Kahnle's early work, but he now has two saves with a 1.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 5:0 K:BB this season. That's put him atop the Tigers' closer committee so far -- he's tied for the team lead with Brant Hurter with two saves, but Hurter's saves have been of the three-inning variety as a long reliever. Kahnle represents a decent speculative option for fantasy managers in search of saves, but the Tigers' bullpen could end up being one where the hot hand at any given time is the one getting the ninth-inning duties.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Continues strong play
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Kahnle tossed a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Monday's 6-2 win over the Yankees, and his ERA remains at 0.00 for the season.
It wasn't a save situation for Kahnle, but he still managed to wrap things up in the ninth inning against the team he played for the last two seasons. The righty has yet to allow a run so far in 2025 across four appearances, and he's emerged as the top candidate for saves in Detroit's bullpen. With Jason Foley working at the Triple-A level, Kahnle could tighten his grip on the closer role if he continues to pitch well, though Beau Brieske and Tyler Holton may remain in the mix for saves as well.
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Tigers' Tommy Kahnle: Notches first save of season
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Kahnle worked a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Mariners.
A hit-by-pitch spoiled what was otherwise a perfect inning for the right-hander in his first save chance of the year. It likely won't be Kahnle's last -- Beau Brieske, who blew his first save chance Friday, entered Tuesday's game with two outs in the sixth inning. Tyler Holton could also factor into the ninth-inning mix against tough left-handed hitters, and Jason Foley might return to the big-league bullpen if he pitches well for Triple-A Toledo, but for now Kahnle appears to be the favorite to close for the Tigers.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Extends scoreless streak
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Kahnle earned a hold against St. Louis on Friday, retiring the only batter he faced on three pitches.
Kahnle was brought in to face Brendan Donovan one batter after Jake Cousins served up a solo homer to reduce New York's advantage to one run. Kahnle did his job, getting Donovan to ground out. The brief outing marked the 18th in a row in which Kahnle did not allow an earned run. Over that stretch, the veteran reliever has hurled 16.1 innings, allowing six hits and posting a 15:7 K:BB.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Secures hold Wednesday
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Kahnle earned a hold against the Phillies on Wednesday, allowing one walk and striking out one batter over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
Kahnle entered in the seventh frame with a runner on second base and one out. He walked the first batter he faced before ending the inning with a strikeout and a flyout. Kahnle has racked up six straight scoreless appearances and has given up just two runs over his past 21 outings. He has a 0.98 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB across 18.1 innings during the latter stretch.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Picks up hold Friday
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Kahnle recorded a hold against Baltimore on Friday, allowing one hit in one scoreless inning.
Kahnle entered in the seventh frame after Gerrit Cole allowed one run over six innings. Kahnle gave up a leadoff single but retired the next three batters to keep New York's 4-1 lead intact. The righty reliever has given up just one run over his past 14 appearances, recording a 15:5 K:BB across 11.1 innings during that span. He's been moving into higher-leverage spots of late with holds in his last two outings.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Returns from injured list
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The Yankees activated Kahnle (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Kahnle has been out all season with a right shoulder issue that dates back to last September, but he's ready to roll after fanning 11 batters over five perfect innings during his minor-league rehab assignment. The Yankees plan to be careful with his workload in initially in not using him on back-to-back days, but Kahnle will be given high-leverage innings right out of the chute.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Slated to return Wednesday
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Tuesday in an interview with Jomboy Media's "Talkin' Yanks" podcast that Kahnle (shoulder) will be activated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Boone noted that while he won't use Kahnle on back-to-back days initially, the plan is to deploy the reliever in high-leverage situations right away. Kahnle has been out all season due to a right shoulder injury that dates back to last year. He struck out 11 over five perfect innings on his rehab assignment.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Likely to be activated Wednesday
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Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Kahnle (shoulder) will likely be activated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
After a rehab appearance Saturday, it appears Kahnle is moving in the right direction and could make his season debut this week. The 34-year-old finished out the 2023 season with a 2.66 ERA, along with a 48:19 K:BB and two saves across 40.2 innings.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Could return early next week
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Kahnle (shoulder) may be activated from the IL during the Yankees' series against Seattle that begins Monday, per MLB.com.
Kahnle kicked off a minor-league rehab assignment May 8 and has been dominant through four outings, posting a 9:0 K:BB while tossing four perfect frames. The veteran reliever is slated to make another rehab appearance Saturday, after which he'll be re-evaluated. If Kahnle is cleared at that point, he could make his season debut for the big-league Yankees as soon as Monday.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Transferred to Double-A
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Kahnle (shoulder) will continue his rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset.
After pitching two perfect innings at Single-A Tampa, Kahnle will bump up a level for the next step in his rehab. It's expected that Kahnle will need at least five appearances in the minors before joining the big league roster.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Effective in second rehab outing
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Kahnle (shoulder) tossed a perfect inning in a rehab appearance with Single-A Tampa on Saturday, striking out one batter.
Kahnle threw of 10 of 15 pitches for strikes in the appearance and got up to 95.5 mph with his sinker, per Conor Foley of YES Network. The veteran reliever has completed two of what is expected to be at least five rehab outings, pitching two perfect frames with three strikeouts thus far. If all goes well for Kahnle during the remainder of his rehab stint, he could join the major-league bullpen within the next two weeks.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Starting rehab assignment
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Kahnle (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on Wednesday.
Kahnle has been out all season with a right shoulder issue that has been bothering him since late in the 2023 campaign. Because he's missed so much time, Kahnle will likely require at least five rehab outings before being activated from the 15-day injured list, according to Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Nearing rehab assignment
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Kahnle (shoulder) will throw a live batting-practice session Saturday and could begin a rehab assignment thereafter, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Kahnle has been throwing bullpens since mid-April and recently progressed to facing live hitters. The Yankees haven't yet established a firm plan for the veteran reliever, but it appears likely that he'll either have one more live BP after Saturday's session or move on to a minor-league rehab assignment. Kahnle was a key piece of the team's bullpen last season, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 48:19 K:BB over 40.2 innings while registering two saves and 14 holds.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Faces live hitters Saturday
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Kahnle (shoulder) threw 15 pitches against live hitters Saturday, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Kahnle began throwing bullpens April 12, and he has now progressed to live throwing sessions. The right-hander is expected to face live hitters again early this week, and he could go on a minor-league rehab assignment soon thereafter.
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Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Proceeding with caution
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The Yankees have slowed Kahnle's (shoulder) throwing program after he struggled to bounce back from his last live session, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Kahnle hasn't been shut down from throwing, which is a good sign, but the club wants to make sure it doesn't push him too hard in his recovery. The training staff has yet to establish a date for the right-hander's rehab assignment.
