KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Right-hander Reese Olson has returned from the injured list at the most important time of the regular season for the Detroit Tigers .
The Tigers, vying for the final American League wild-card spot with two weeks remaining, reinstated Olson from the injured list and named him as the starting pitcher for Monday's opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Olson missed nearly two months with a right shoulder strain .
"He's really good," manager A.J. Hinch said before Monday's game. "Having him healthy is a huge boost to this team. We've missed him a lot in the second half. Getting a pitcher of his quality back, we're going to take as little or as much as he can give us from a physical standpoint. He gives our entire pitching department a boost."
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The Tigers have chosen to start Olson against the Royals despite restricting his innings and pitch count. He only completed two starts on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. In the final start, Olson threw three innings on 45 pitches.
Olson was built up to seven innings and 100 pitches before the shoulder injury, but he won't handle a heavy workload in his immediate return from the injured list.
"Just as many outs as he can give us," Hinch said. "It's obviously shorter than a normal start, but the good version of him can get quick outs, and if that happens, then we'll have to make a decision into the middle part of the game. We'll see how it goes from an endurance standpoint and take whatever he can give us."
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Before Monday, Olson hadn't pitched for the Tigers since July 20.
Olson is the second-best starter on the Tigers' roster, behind only ace Tarik Skubal. He has a 3.23 ERA with 31 walks and 92 strikeouts across 103 innings in 19 starts.
"True four-pitch mix guy who can get a lot of outs," Hinch said. "He has rehabbed his way past the soreness in his shoulder that he had. We're excited to get him back."
The Tigers optioned right-handed reliever Ricky Vanasco to Triple-A Toledo, making room for Olson.
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Keider Montero wins MLB award
Right-hander Keider Montero was named by MLB as the American League Player of the Week, from Sept. 9-15.
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The 24-year-old threw 14 scoreless innings on eight hits and one walk with six strikeouts, helping the Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 10 and Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 15 .
Facing the Rockies, Montero tossed a complete-game shutout on 96 pitches. Montero, who has a 4.60 ERA in his 16-game MLB career, owns a 3.33 ERA in his past nine starts, dating back to Aug. 1.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch was named the National League Player of the Week. He hit .478 with four home runs and a 1.567 OPS.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson returns from injured list for 'shorter than normal start'
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