BALTIMORE – Detroit Tigers left-handed reliever Brant Hurter has suffered a lower back injury.
The 27-year-old exited with two outs in the fifth inning Friday, May 22, alongside assistant athletic trainer Chris McDonald after a changeup to Baltimore Orioles pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill resulted in a flyout. He landed awkwardly at the end of his delivery on the pitch.
Hurter will undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury.
“When I got out there, he just said his back,” manager A.J. Hinch said after Friday’s 7-4 loss. “He kept saying his back. So I took him out right away. I don’t know the severity of it.”
Hurter is one of the Tigers’ best relievers – and he’s certainly their best left-handed reliever. He owns a 2.84 ERA with 12 walks and 18 strikeouts across 25⅓ innings in 21 games.
In Friday’s game, the Tigers replaced Hurter with right-handed reliever Connor Seabold.
Hurter was pitching in the rain.
“I don’t know if it was related to the mound or it being wet,” Hinch said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Brant Hurter exits Tigers game with back injury after pitching in rain
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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