Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter is getting close to taking part in baseball activities.

Carpenter hasn't played for the Tigers since May 26, sidelined with a lumbar spine stress fracture. He said the lower back injury requires 3½-4 weeks of rest without any baseball activities, followed by a 1½ weeks of baseball activities before getting cleared to play games.

Based on the timeline, Carpenter seems on track to begin a rehab assignment in the first week of July, but it's still unclear when he will return to the Tigers.

"Let the bone heal," Carpenter said, "and then ramp back up after that. I've never dealt with this kind of thing before, so it was quicker than I thought. I was happy about that."

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As of Thursday, Carpenter is 2½ weeks into the rest portion of his recovery, so he could start baseball activities as early as next weekend when the Tigers return to Comerica Park from a six-game road trip.

The resting period primarily consists of physical therapy.

"Even right now, it doesn't feel as bad as it did two weeks ago," Carpenter said.

The Tigers placed Carpenter on the injured list May 29, three days after his last game, with lumbar spine inflammation. He underwent tests May 28 that suggested an immediate shutdown. By May 31, the Tigers updated the diagnosis to a lumbar spine stress fracture as the result of further tests.

"It definitely hurt to run and put pressure on it," Carpenter said. "Every time I ran, it felt like my back was getting jammed up. The swings actually weren't as bad. I could swing like 100%, but the day that we got rained out against Pittsburgh (on May 28), I was trying to run in the outfield, but if I tried to run any harder than a jog, it wasn't good."

Carpenter doesn't know exactly what caused the lower back injury.

He can only guess.

"Probably some of the (weight) training I've been doing," Carpenter said. "Maybe I wasn't careful enough with some of it. Other than that, I don't think there's a reason. I think a stress fracture just happens over time."

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The Tigers won't risk further injury by rushing Carpenter's return, but they're struggling without his bat in the lineup.

In 2024, Carpenter — a left-handed hitter who demolishes right-handed pitchers — is hitting .283 with eight home runs, 11 walks and 38 strikeouts in 50 games. He has been the most consistent player on offense this season.

"I've seen us suffer," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's a really big bat. Go grab anybody's lineup and pick that dude in the middle who dominates and take him out, and you see how everybody feels. It is a big loss, but it's a loss whether we want to cry about it, pout about it or be pissed about it, he's not playing."

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The Tigers ranked 20th among the 30 MLB teams with a .684 OPS from Opening Day, on March 28, through Carpenter's last game, on May 26, but since losing Carpenter to the injured list, the Tigers rank 27th with a .620 OPS.

The Tigers also have a putrid .611 OPS against right-handed pitchers without Carpenter, which isn't surprising because Carpenter leads the Tigers as one of the best hitters in baseball against right-handed pitchers.

His 1.004 OPS against right-handers ranks seventh among 196 players with at least 140 plate appearances, trailing only Aaron Judge (1.142), Shohei Ohtani (1.089), Kyle Tucker (1.072), Juan Soto (1.037), Rafael Devers (1.020) and Freddie Freeman (1.010).

"I was feeling good," Carpenter said. "But I feel like I can come back after a rehab stint and do the same thing."

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Carpenter won't be back until some point in July, possibly at the end of July, but he remains on track to meet the initial timeline from the doctors.

The Tigers can't afford any setbacks.

"He's kind of where we expect him to be," Hinch said.

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 reveals plan for return from injury