Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter returns from back injury after missing more than 2 months
Kerry Carpenter is back.
The Detroit Tigers activated Carpenter, a power-hitting outfielder who hasn't played since May 26, from the injured list before Tuesday's game against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park. The 26-year-old lefty has finally returned from a lumbar spine stress fracture that's sidelined him for more than two months.
Carpenter will serve as the designated hitter in Tuesday's lineup.
"He's going to be a guy that I'm going to ramp into activity," manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday on MLB Network Radio's "Power Alley," hosted by Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette. "He's going to play a little bit of outfield. He's going to DH a lot. He had a really good rehab assignment. That'll be a big boost for us, even though he won't play every single day. I've got to be careful with getting him back into game shape, but we want to do that here since he's physically ready to go."
MORE ABOUT HIM: Tigers' Kerry Carpenter is a great hitter, and now a reliable outfielder too
Before returning, Carpenter played in four of six games last week with Triple-A Toledo in a rehab assignment. The former 19th-round draft pick checked all the boxes to complete his rehab from the lower back injury. He finished 3-for-14 (.214) with one walk and five strikeouts with the Mud Hens, working two games in the outfield.
In 2024, Carpenter — a left-handed hitter who demolishes right-handed pitching — has a .283 batting average with eight home runs, 11 walks and 38 strikeouts across 50 games, posting a .914 OPS.
So far, this season has been the best of his three-year MLB career, aside from the back injury.
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Carpenter is hitting .310 with a 1.004 OPS against righties.
His OPS against righties ranks seventh among 303 hitters with at least 140 plate appearances in those matchups. On the leaderboard, Carpenter trails only Aaron Judge (1.149), Shohei Ohtani (1.105), Rafael Devers (1.078), Kyle Tucker (1.072), Juan Soto (1.031) and Bobby Witt Jr. (1.025).
The Tigers rank 26th in MLB for their production against right-handed pitchers, meaning Carpenter will provide a massive boost to the offense if he rakes like he did before the lower back injury.
This story will be updated.
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' Kerry Carpenter returns from back injury after 2 months
