​Detroit — It wasn’t all that long ago that Tanner Rainey was pitching in the World Series for the Nationals, winning a ring and enjoying a triumphant victory parade in the nation’s capital.“Well, it’s been a few years,” he said, laughing.Granted, 2019 wasn’t yesterday. And it probably does seem longer given the road he’s traveled since has been fraught with injuries and performance setbacks and long stints in the minor leagues.Makes you wonder what kept him going, what drove him, especially this season, when the Tigers used 24 other pitchers before calling him up Tuesday.“Because there’s nothing else I’d rather do,” the sturdily built right-hander said. “As long as I can play this game, I am going to play it. I will take this jersey every time they give it to me, just the competition, the clubhouse, all of it.”Fact is, he’s earned his way back and, if he performs, he’s going to get the chance to stay.“I’m mostly impressed by the fact he came back after the opportunity last year,” manager AJ Hinch said, referencing Rainey’s two-game cup of coffee with the Tigers last year. “He wanted to sign back with us and he spent a long time in the minor leagues this year, getting passed over a couple of times. And he’s just continued to work and adjust and now this is his spot.“I told him, generally speaking, we’ve been looking for someone to come in and be really tough against right-handed hitters. He’s going to get a runway here and hopefully he can give us a different look.”With a firm (96-97 mph) riding four-seamer and hard slider, Rainey dominated right-handed hitters at Triple-A (.155/.294/.197 with a .491 OPS), just as he did for much of his big-league career (.214/.332/.390).Rainey, though, is not likely to be content with a specialist role. With the help of Toledo pitching coach Doug Bochtler, he’s brought back the curveball he used when he first entered pro ball as a starting pitcher.More: Tigers were cooked. Now, they’re cooking. What fueled wild turnaround?“I’m trying to find something I can put more on the plate,” Rainey said. “I’ve been throwing it the last month and a half just to keep more thought of up and down at the plate, as opposed to just the slider.”The thought behind it is sound. He’s been a two-pitch pitcher. Elevated pitches have been four-seamers and the only spin coming out of his hand was horizontal, breaking off the plate. Now he can spin a breaking ball that comes out of the same slot but breaks more north to south. It’s a pitch he will need to neutralize left-handed hitters.“It’s not really a true curveball,” he said. “It’s just a little different look. It’s just enough of a difference to be two different pitches. I don’t want it to start merging into one pitch. I still want to have that hard slider. If they start to look like one pitch, I will stick with the slider.”Rainey had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and didn’t pitch in 2023. It has take