Former LSU pitcher Alex Lange is back in the big leagues. After a grueling 14-month recovery process following an intense procedure to resolve a right lat strain, Lange made his return to Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.
Lange tossed a scoreless ninth inning for Detroit in the Tigers' 10-0 victory over the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. He allowed two hits and a walk, but escaped the inning unscathed. He also recorded his first major league strikeout in nearly 15 months.
His appearance on Monday night was Lange's first appearance in an MLB game since May 22, 2024. The 29-year-old right-hander has spent the past 14 months recovering from a surgery to repair an avulsion in his right latissimus dorsi tendon. Lange underwent season-ending surgery in June 2024, and was in tears just days before the procedure took place.
"I watch every game. When you're away from the boys, it's tough. You become such like a family. It's tough."Alex Lange
After spending such an extended period of time away from big league baseball, Lange was eager to help his team after being activated from the injured list on Monday.
"I'm excited to be back here and in the locker room again. It felt like Christmas morning waking up. Being able to come here and put a jersey on tonight, it's pretty cool."Alex Lange
Lange was a stand out pitcher during his time in Baton Rouge, racking up several accolades as a Tiger. Most notably, Lange was a consensus All-American as a freshman in 2015. He was also named the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Louisville Slugger. He helped lead the Tigers to a pair of College World Series appearances in 2015 and 2017.
Lange was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, going No. 30 overall. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in July 2019, in a move that sent Nick Castellanos to Chicago. Lange made his MLB debut for Detroit on April 10, 2021.
From 2021-2024, Lange appeared in 195 games for the Tigers, holding a 3.72 ERA over 183.2 innings of work. He was Detroit's primary closer in 2023, collecting 26 saves. On July 8, 2023, the Lee's Summit, MO native pitched the last inning of a combined no-hitter for Detroit against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lange is one of 91 former LSU Tigers to make it to the big leagues. He returns to a Tigers team that currently has the most wins in the American League, and leads the AL Central division by nine games. Lange's presence could provide some much-needed depth to a Detroit bullpen that has struggled in recent weeks.