Detroit Tigers Star Outfielder Begins Injury Rehab with Toledo

The Detroit Tigers hope to get back one of their top outfielders once his rehab assignment is complete with the Toledo Mud Hens.

Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter looks on during the ninth inning against Washington Nationals at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, June 13, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter started the final stage of his return to the Majors when he began an injury rehab assignment with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens on Tuesday.

The Mud Hens hosted Jacksonville on Tuesday. Carpenter batted second and was the designated hitter. Position players typically start a rehab assignment in the DH role before taking the field.

Carpenter took four turns at the plate before he was removed from the game. He went 1-for-4 and struck out twice.

He’ll likely take a turn in the field later in the week. The Tigers hope to have him back sometime this month.

The Tigers lost Carpenter in late May after he was diagnosed with a lumbar spine stress fracture, an injury that landed him on the 60-day injured list.

That was a significant hit to Detroit’s offense, as the third-year player was having a potential career-best season with a slash line of .283/.342/.572/.914 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in 50 games.

Last year, his first full season in the Majors, he batted .278/.340/.471/.811 with 20 home runs and 64 RBI in 118 games. In 31 games with the Tigers in 2022, he slashed .252/.310/.485/.795 with six home runs and 10 RBI.

Carpenter was drafted by Detroit in the 19th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft after a standout career with the Virginia Tech Hokies.

While the cancellation of minor-league baseball in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic slowed his development, it didn’t stunt it. He accelerated quickly as he started 2021 with Double-A Erie and earned a promotion to Toledo during 2022 after being named the Eastern League Player of the Month for May of 2022.

The Tigers called him up from Toledo a few months later.

While Carpenter rehabs, another Tigers player is closing in on starting a rehab assignment. Pitcher Casey Mize, who is out with a left hamstring strain and was moved to the 60-day injured list in June, will make a rehab start with Toledo on Wednesday.

He’ll be on a rehab assignment for a while. He actually isn’t eligible to be activated until the end of August. Manager A.J. Hinch said that will give Mize a chance to stretch out to 85 pitches before he makes his return to the rotation.

Outfielder Riley Greene is with the Tigers on their road trip and continues his progression toward a rehab assignment as he works back from a right hamstring strain, per MLB.com.