The Detroit Tigers are suddenly in the middle of a race that looked out of reach not long ago, and Kenley Jansen isn’t hiding how he feels about it.
Detroit beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-4 on Tuesday night at Comerica Park, stretching its winning streak to three and pulling itself right back into the picture. The Tigers now sit in second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox, and they’re also just a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for the third and final wild-card spot.
That position is especially eye-catching considering the moves Detroit made at the deadline, shipping pitcher Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres. On paper, that looked like a team easing off the gas for 2026. Instead, the Tigers are hanging around, and if this run turns into something bigger, they could wind up playing deep into October.
Jansen, though, is looking at the situation in the broadest possible terms.
“We all had an awful start,” Jansen said, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. “It's a long season.
They're going to remember you as how you finish. So what you do is big for this ballclub.
I think we're all stepping up right now, and if we step up, I don't think there's anybody better than us in this division, respectfully.''
Detroit’s current push comes with a three-game series against Cleveland followed by another key set against the White Sox, and that stretch could say plenty about where this team is headed. The division remains wide open, with nobody really separating from the pack the way a front-runner usually does.
If the Tigers can keep winning through this homestand, they’ll give themselves a real shot at reaching the postseason either as division champs or through the wild-card race. Jansen’s point is simple: the finish matters most.
Detroit stumbled late last season and still managed to back into the playoffs. This year, the path could be flipped if the Tigers keep climbing instead of fading.
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Tigers Suddenly Face An Outfield Question After James Outman Scare
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In the meantime, the club turned to its depth by bringing up switch-hitting utility player Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo. It is the kind of move that signals a day-to-day scramble as much as a longer look at a versatile bench piece, and for the Tigers, the bigger question is how they cover the outfield if Outmans absence stretches beyond the short term. [Read more 🡒]
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Brant Hurter could help change that picture if his return comes together quickly. The left-hander has been on the 60-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation, but he has started rehab assignments with the Toledo Mud Hens, and MLB.coms injury report indicates he could be activated soon, with the White Sox series among the possible landing spots. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Finally Got Their First Look At Cameron Flukey
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For Detroit, the debut was less about a polished line and more about the first step from draft-night promise to game action. Flukey, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, signed for a $3.8 million bonus, and now the organization can start seeing how that profile plays against pro hitters, inning by inning, at the lower levels. [Read more 🡒]