Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter, a part of the foundation on offense, hasn't played a competitive game since the end of May because of a lumbar spine stress fracture.

It will soon be two months since his last game.

The 26-year-old seemed on track to return to the Tigers in late July, but at the end of June, he experienced discomfort in his lower back while running that led to a setback in his recovery. He had to wait two weeks before he could restart baseball activities.

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"It was pretty disappointing," Carpenter said. "but it wasn't as big of a deal as the first time. I was back at it a couple of weeks later. It was the running. I'm not sure exactly why, but I felt it when I was running."

A setback is concerning.

But Carpenter believes he will return to the Tigers before the 2024 season ends.

"I can't imagine a world where I wouldn't," Carpenter said.

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The final game of the season, scheduled for Sept. 29 against the Chicago White Sox, takes place in two months and one week, which is still more than the amount of time Carpenter has spent on the injured list since late May.

Carpenter, a left-handed hitter, has a .283 batting average with eight home runs, 11 walks and 38 strikeouts across 50 games, logging a .914 OPS. He is especially useful against right-handed pitchers, hitting .310 with a 1.004 OPS.

"I don't know the timeline yet," Carpenter said.

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The Tigers are taking a cautious approach to the recoveries of three injured players: Carpenter (lumbar spine stress reaction), center fielder Parker Meadows (right hamstring strain) and right-hander Casey Mize (left hamstring strain).

None of those players will be available for the upcoming road trip, from Friday through July 25, against the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians.

"I know it gets boring, and you guys are probably tired of hearing me not look too far into the future," manager A.J. Hinch said, "but until they get into rehab assignments, it's just teasing yourself thinking about what could be, so it's not happening."

All three of them will be in Lakeland, Florida — home of the spring training facility — while the team is on the road before rejoining the team July 26 at Comerica Park.

Carpenter hopes to be close to ready for a long-awaited rehab assignment by the end of July.

"They're all a little bit individually different," Hinch continued, "but hopefully, we get Casey off a mound soon, hopefully, we can get Parker and Kerry to do a little bit more intensity with their work. Both of the position players are going to need pretty good evaluation on the running."

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Remember, Carpenter suffered his setback in late June while doing running drills. Meanwhile, Meadows appeared to suffer his injury in early July while running from first base to second base on a stolen-base attempt.

The Tigers will be extra careful with Meadows and Carpenter.

"The swings are great, and it's nice to be in the cage," Hinch said, "but until the pounding (of the feet while running) starts, specifically from Parker with the hamstring injury and speed being such a big part of him, time will tell. I'm encouraged by what the medical department is telling me, but it's guesswork at this point."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Will Detroit Tigers OF return this year?