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Brenan Hanifee joins Tigers as Connor Seabold lands on injured list
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- Brenan Hanifee joins Tigers as Connor Seabold lands on injured list
The Detroit Tigers have recalled right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee from Triple-A Toledo.
It wasn't for performance reasons.
The Tigers had to activate Hanifee on Sunday, April 26, after placing right-handed reliever Connor Seabold on the 15-day injured list with left ankle inflammation. The roster moves happened 75 minutes before first pitch of Sunday's series finale between the Tigers and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
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"It felt like one spike caught and the rest didn't," Seabold said before Sunday's game. "I don't know if I jammed it or extended it a little bit too much in a direction I shouldn't have. I'm not worried about it, and it doesn't seem like they're worried about it."
Detroit Tigers pitcher Brenan Hanifee throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
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Seabold suffered the injury in Saturday's 9-2 loss .
He fell backward on the mound after throwing a pitch in the sixth inning. He didn't role his ankle, but he felt discomfort around his ankle. He left the game after a meeting on the mound with Hinch and head athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks .
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Before Sunday's game, Seabold felt healthy enough to avoid a stint on the injured list.
"I'm not worried about it," Seabold said.
"I'm walking," he added.
Meanwhile, Hanifee arrived in the clubhouse before Sunday's game, but only as a member of the taxi squad while the Tigers continued to evaluate Seabold's ankle injury.
The Tigers decided to sideline Seabold.
"You can do that to protect yourself against the injury," Hinch said, discussing the taxi squad placement. "We're required to make the decision an hour before the game."
Hanifee registered a 4.91 ERA with five walks and 12 strikeouts across 11 innings in 10 games for Triple-A Toledo. The 27-year-old owns a 2.77 ERA over 94⅓ innings in 78 games during his three-year MLB career, from 2023-25.
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He was the final player cut from spring training before 2026 Opening Day.
The Tigers' bullpen struggles to generate whiffs, ranking 25th among the 30 MLB teams with a 24.1% whiff rate, but Seabold ranks fourth among Tigers relievers with a 25% whiff rate – trailing only right-handers Will Vest (31.3%), Drew Anderson (27.8%) and Kenley Jansen (27.4%).
Hanifee had a 16.1% whiff rate in 2025.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers injury update: Connor Seabold down, Brenan Hanifee in
