The Detroit Tigers have been one of baseball’s hottest teams lately, scoring 40 runs over their past seven games and winning five of them to move into a tie with the Dodgers for the best record in MLB at 53-32. But as they arrived in Washington to start a series against the Nationals, the team received some tough news.
Manager A.J. Hinch announced Tuesday that Kerry Carpenter, Detroit’s hottest hitter, is heading to the 10-day injured list after an MRI revealed lingering hamstring issues. Carpenter injured himself while legging out a triple during Saturday’s game, feeling discomfort right out of the batter’s box. Although he tried to tough it out, Hinch said the decision was made to protect Carpenter’s health with 12 games left before the All-Star break.
“This is the second time he’s felt these sensations,” Hinch told SiriusXM MLB Network Radio. “It’s very mild. He probably could play through it, but he hasn’t been at 100%. We’ll take the decision out of his hands and be cautious given where we are on the calendar.”
Carpenter, who missed time with a similar hamstring issue earlier in June, was red-hot at the plate before the injury, blasting three home runs with a .462 average and a staggering 1.769 OPS over his last five games.
Detroit’s recent success has come despite a slew of injuries all season long, including rookie starter Jackson Jobe undergoing Tommy John surgery and big-ticket free agent pitcher Alex Cobb yet to throw a pitch this year. Several Tigers outfielders, including Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Perez, have also missed significant time.
Despite these setbacks, the Tigers entered Tuesday with an 11.5-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central. With 77 games still left in the season, the team’s decision to rest Carpenter now aims to have him fully healthy for the stretch run and a potential playoff push.
Tuesday’s series opener in Washington was postponed due to rain. The Tigers and Nationals will make it up Wednesday with a day-night doubleheader.
Tigers Lose Red-Hot Kerry Carpenter to IL Ahead of Nationals Doubleheader
