Kerry Carpenter is back, and the Detroit Tigers immediately put him where they need him most. Detroit activated Carpenter from the 10-day injured list on May 31, inserted him as the designated hitter batting fourth against the White Sox, and optioned Gage Workman to Triple-A Toledo in the corresponding move, as shown in the club’s May 31 roster update and a matching game-day report.
Detroit did not ease Carpenter back in. Batting him fourth on day one puts a left-handed power bat right back into the middle of a Detroit Tigers lineup that went 4-15 without him and posted a .602 OPS during a 6-21 May, according to the same May 31 update.
A.J. Hinch said Carpenter completed two rehab games and felt healthy before returning, per the pregame update. The Detroit Tigers answered that by dropping him straight into the cleanup spot instead of limiting his workload at the bottom of the order.
That deployment says plenty about how Detroit views Carpenter’s bat, especially against right-handed pitching. He was one of the few proven power threats on the roster before the injury, and the Detroit Tigers lineup looked thin without him.
Carpenter went on the 10-day injured list May 10 with a left shoulder sprain after crashing into the right-field wall at Kauffman Stadium on May 9, according to the injury report from that move. Initial testing showed no structural damage, but there was enough soreness and inflammation to shut him down.
Detroit did not ease Carpenter back in. Batting him fourth on day one puts a left-handed power bat right back into the middle of a Detroit Tigers lineup that went 4-15 without him and posted a .602 OPS during a 6-21 May, according to the same May 31 update.
A.J. Hinch said Carpenter completed two rehab games and felt healthy before returning, per the pregame update. The Detroit Tigers answered that by dropping him straight into the cleanup spot instead of limiting his workload at the bottom of the order.
That deployment says plenty about how Detroit views Carpenter’s bat, especially against right-handed pitching. He was one of the few proven power threats on the roster before the injury, and the Detroit Tigers lineup looked thin without him.
Carpenter went on the 10-day injured list May 10 with a left shoulder sprain after crashing into the right-field wall at Kauffman Stadium on May 9, according to the injury report from that move. Initial testing showed no structural damage, but there was enough soreness and inflammation to shut him down.
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