Major League Baseball is a cruel business, and the Detroit Tigers sent a harsh reminder of that fact on Wednesday.

Relief pitcher Alex Lange joined the Tigers’ big-league club in 2021, and in 2023, he became the closer. But the next season, disaster struck in June, as he was first optioned to Triple-A after his uneven start, then suffered a lat avulsion that required surgery and prevented him from returning to a big-league mound for 14 months.

That injury appears to have sent Lange’s career sideways, because on Wednesday, the Tigers designated him for assignment, according to the official transactions log of MLB.

Lange returned to the big leagues for his first post-injury outing on Aug. 18 this season, and after a grueling rehab process, he talked openly about how emotional that moment was.

“I was fighting tears, man,” Lange said after the game, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. “I was just so anxious to get in there and get it going, go out there and have some fun, whatever the results were going to be was fine, and I’d accepted that. But I put in a lot of work to be back here. I was just really excited to put it on display and just go out there and have fun and play the game that we love.”

Unfortunately, the Tigers were unwilling to give him a second outing after he allowed two hits and a walk in a scoreless inning that night against the Houston Astros. He got optioned to Triple-A Toledo three days later, and didn’t return to the major league roster for the regular season or the playoffs.

In Triple-A this year, Lange made 24 appearances — some to ramp up for his lone big-league outing, and several thereafter. He wound up with a mediocre 4.62 ERA, but an impressive 29 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

Ultimately, this was a roster flexibility move, as the Tigers feel their bullpen has gotten so good they can’t guarantee Lange will have a spot in the majors, and he’s now out of minor-league options.

The Tigers may be hoping Lange passes through waivers and can be outrighted to Triple-A, though he also has enough service time to elect free agency, if he thinks he can get a better shot elsewhere. No one can be sure what he’s been told about his potential to make a continued impact on this Detroit team, but clearly, he’s no longer valued like he once was.

More MLB: Rangers 10-Year Veteran, Ex-Brewers All-Star Enters Free Agency