Detroit Tigers Getting Closer to Having Another Outfielder Back from Injury
The final two months of the season is an audition period for virtually every player on the Detroit Tigers roster as the organization starts evaluating who they can build around moving forward.
Ideally, those who are injured will be able to come back and get on the field so the front office can get a good look at all their pieces who could be a factor in the future.
That's why it was great news when former top prospect Parker Meadows made his return, and based on how he's played since rejoining the team, it looks like the Tigers will have a lot to think about in regards to their outfield group.
Now, it sounds like they are getting closer to having another one of their outfielders in the mix as Kerry Carpenter could be activated off the inured list as soon as Tuesday.
"It's going to be Charlotte on Tuesday or Detroit on Tuesday, but a lot's going to be determined by how he does, how he feels and where we're at. We're not going to be a day too early," manager A.J. Hinch said per the team's injuries page.
Carpenter was placed on the IL back in late-May with lumbar spine inflammation that was later revealed to be a stress fracture. Initially getting the 10-day designation, Detroit moved him over to the 60-day injured list on July 21.
The Tigers sent him on a rehab assignment in early-August, and so far, he's played four games with their Triple-A affiliate. He hadn't had a good showing prior to Sunday, going 1-for-10, but he put together his best performance by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the series finale.
Carpenter has been impressive in the early portions of his career, posting a slash line of .275/.336/.495 with 34 homers, 72 extra-base hits, 103 RBI and an OPS+ of 127 across his 199 games.
Getting him back on the field will give Detroit a much better idea of how their outfield might look in the future with him alongside the surging Meadows.
But, the Tigers aren't going to sacrifice the long-term to get him back on the field before he's ready.
"We've done the work to get to this point. We have to take the extra time to make sure that we get the benefit of the next six weeks and not a feel-good story on Day 1 and a reinjury on Day 3. That would be very detrimental to finishing the season the way we want to," Hinch added.
