The injury to Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter's back is now being described as a "lumbar spine stress fracture," according to the team's medical report. Carpenter's injury was originally described as lumbar-spine inflammation. It's bad news for the Tigers and fantasy managers, as Carpenter will obviously miss well behind 10 days on the injured list with a pretty significant injury. The 26-year-old doesn't exactly have a timetable for a return, but we wouldn't be surprised if he's not able to return until sometime after the All-Star break. In the meantime with Carpenter out, Akil Baddoo is likely to benefit the most with more playing time. He got the start in left field for Detroit and was batting sixth on Friday against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Tanner Houck. Before getting hurt, Carpenter had a healthy .283 average with eight homers and 29 RBI in 145 at-bats.

The Detroit Tigers placed outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 27) on Wednesday with lumbar-spine inflammation and recalled outfielder Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. The back soreness that Carpenter was feeling over the weekend has turned out to be something worse and will almost surely keep him out beyond the 10 days on the IL. It's a big loss for the Tigers and for fantasy managers, as the 26-year-old was hitting .283 with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 21 runs scored. Manager A.J. Hinch said there's no clear timetable for a return for Carpenter without further testing. Baddoo will give the Tigers more outfield depth. Matt Vierling is in center field on Wednesday, while Wenceel Perez is starting in right field for the Tigers in Game 1 of their doubleheader versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter hit his eighth home run of the season Saturday afternoon, providing all the runs needed to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1. Carpenter is having an excellent season thus far, hitting .285 with eight home runs, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in 144 at-bats. Five home runs have come in the last 15 games, where Carpenter has hit a robust .340. Carpenter should continue to see regular playing time in right field for the Tigers, and as long as he keeps hitting, he should be batting cleanup.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter smashed a two-run shot off Toronto starter Jose Berrios in the first inning of the Tigers' 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday. Carpenter would also add on a single and go two-for-three on the day, but his first inning blast was all the Tigers needed to get past the Blue Jays. Carpenter increased his team-leading OPS to .916 and is second on the team in HR. The lefty has mainly been used as a platoon matchup against righties and fantasy managers should take that into account when inserting him into their lineups. Expect Carpenter to sit on Sunday vs Toronto lefty Yusei Kikuchi, but he'll be back in the lineup the next two days against Pittsburgh against standout rookies Jared Jones and Paul Skenes.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter went 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, and a strikeout in Saturday's 8-2 win over the Houston Astros. Carpenter belted a two-run shot off Cristian Javier in the bottom of the third inning for his first homer of the game. He later took Hunter Brown deep in the bottom of the fourth inning for his second long ball of the night. Entering Saturday's game, Carpenter had gone 18 games without a home run. The 26-year-old is slashing .275/.333/.523 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and 12 runs over 37 games in 2024. Carpenter will look to build off Saturday's massive performance in the season finale against the Astros on Sunday and should be started in most league formats.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and RBI in Tuesday's victory over the Texas Rangers. Carpenter had a strong game, but was pulled in the bottom of the eighth inning with a lefty on the mound. Carpenter has had a good season with a .302 batting average to go along with two homers and five RBI, but has gotten the majority of his playing time with right-handed pitchers on the mound. Carpenter has always showed plenty of power, but it hurts that the Tigers won't give him a chance against lefties. As long as managers can deal with him sitting against lefties, he should be rostered in deeper leagues with daily lineups.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup on Saturday against right-hander Michael Soroka and the Chicago White Sox. It will be Carpenter's first start of the season after he was on the bench on Opening Day on Thursday with the White Sox throwing a left-hander. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter had an impressive 2023 season for Detroit, slashing .278/.340/.471 with an .811 OPS, 20 home runs, 64 RBI, six stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 118 games in his first full season in the big leagues. The former 19th-rounder in 2019 out of Virginia Tech closed the season on a low note, though, and didn't homer after Aug. 23 while strictly playing against righties. It looks like he'll be a platoon player for the Tigers again this year, which will severely limit his fantasy upside in mixed leagues.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter went 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a solo home run against the New York Yankees in Grapefruit League action. The homer would be the first of the spring for the slugger. Carpenter has always been known as a big power bat and really came on in the second half of 2023 for the Tigers and fantasy managers. He would finish with a .278 average, 20 homers and 64 RBI in 418 at-bats. Despite his struggles this spring with a .235 batting average, the left-handed slugger should provide good value as a fifth outfielder or depth piece with an ADP of 218.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter is scheduled to play the outfield for the first time this spring on Saturday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 26-year-old has been slowed by a hamstring strain this spring but has appeared in two games at designated hitter, going 1-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts in that time. Carpenter enjoyed a big season in his first full tour through the majors, hitting .278 with 20 home runs and an .811 OPS across 118 games. He also appeared in 31 games in the 2022 season as he has combined for a .273 average with 26 homers and an .808 OPS through the first 149 games of his big-league career. He projects for a .257 average with 23 homers and six stolen bases by ATC in the 2024 season but he will exceed those projections if he can take another step forward in his second full big-league campaign.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) notched a single in his spring training debut on Tuesday in a 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. He also fell just a few feet shy of an opposite-field home run to deep left-center field. The 26-year-old has been slowed by a hamstring issue this spring but appears to be a full go moving forward. Carpenter was an under-the-radar breakout hitter in the 2023 season, as he hit .278 with 20 home runs, six stolen bases, and an .811 OPS across 118 games played. Through his first 149 career big-league games, Carpenter has hit .273 with 26 home runs, helping him to a 122 wRC+ that grades out 22% superior to the league average. He is a quality fantasy asset that should provide solid power and some speed on the basepaths.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) is on track to play in his first Grapefruit League game on Tuesday since suffering a hamstring strain. Carpenter has been ramping up his running progression in camp and now feels good enough to return to spring training action. As long as the 26-year-old doesn't suffer a setback with his hammy, he should be good to go for Opening Day on March 28. Carpenter's big 2023 season with the Tigers means that he's expected to be a regular lineup addition in 2024. The left-handed-hitting outfielder batted .278 (116-for-418) with 20 homers, 64 RBI, six stolen bases and 57 runs, but he also finished the season in a big slump and shouldn't be expected to improve in just his second full major-league season in 2024.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring), who has been facing live pitching on the back fields at camp, will continue his return-to-play progression by running the bases on Friday. Carpenter has been dealing with a left-hamstring strain that he suffered last week. While the 26-year-old has been held out of Grapefruit League games, he could start playing in spring training games soon. Barring a setback with his hamstring, he'll have time to get ready for Opening Day at the end of March. In his first full big-league season in 2023, Carpenter surprised everyone by hitting .278/.340/.471 with an .811 OPS, 20 home runs, 64 RBI and six stolen bases in 118 games. It's fair to wonder how much more upside the former 19th-round pick has, though, especially after his poor finish last year and given his struggles against lefties. He's still worth a late-round pick as outfield depth, though.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) is out early on Tuesday doing some running work at spring training, which is a good sign for him after being diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain last Friday. The 26-year-old is considered day-to-day right now and is going to be held out of Grapefruit League games for the time being as a precaution. Still, it would be a surprise if Carpenter isn't ready to go for Opening Day in late March. He earned an everyday role for the Tigers by hitting .278/.340/.471 with an .811 OPS, 20 home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 64 RBI, six stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 118 games and 459 trips to the plate in 2023 in his first full season in the bigs. However, he had a long dry spell in the power department late last year and struggled against lefties. If those trends continue, a platoon role could be on tap for Carpenter.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) suffered a mild left-hamstring strain while doing baserunning drills in camp on Thursday. He will complete rehab daily and progress back to baseball activities as tolerated. Carpenter's injury isn't very serious, but he's going to be held out of at least the first couple Grapefruit League games this weekend and into early next week. The 26-year-old is on the fantasy radar as a No. 4 or 5 outfielder in 2024 after hitting .278/.340/.471 with an .811 OPS, 20 home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 64 RBI, six stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 118 games in his first full big-league season in 2023. However, he had a prolonged power outage late in the year and struggled to hit left-handers as a left-handed hitter, which could leave him open to a platoon situation in Detroit's outfield eventually.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter Kerry Carpenter went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a swiped bag against the Yankees on Thursday. He singled early in the game, driving in a run off right-hander Clarke Schmidt, the Yankees' starting pitcher. With the two hits, Carpenter has 25 multi-hit games in 91 contests this season. Currently, the 25-year-old carries a slash line of .287/.349/.526 while smacking 20 home runs and collecting 65 RBI. Carpenter is beginning to show that he could be a valuable asset in fantasy play soon.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter Kerry Carpenter continued to produce at the plate in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs. Carpenter went 3-for-5 with a single, a double, a solo home run, and a strikeout. The 25-year-old has put together a solid season offensively, slashing .287/.346/.541 with 19 HR and 48 RBI in 306 plate appearances. While he may not get a ton of opportunities to plate runs given the offense he hits in, he could provide a spark to fantasy managers' lineups in points leagues at this time.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres. Carpenter was red hot coming out of the All-Star break, collecting six hits over the first four games, including three home runs. However, he's cooled down considerably since then so he'll get a day off on Saturday against left-handed starter Jackson Wolf. Overall, Carpenter is slashing .260/.322/.497 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI over 181 at-bats on the year. Zach McKinstry is starting in right field in his place.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (shoulder) has played in seven games with Triple-A Toledo as he rehabs from a sprained right shoulder. However, the slugger has yet to play the field and will need to do so before he can return to action in the big leagues. Still, Carpenter began throwing to bases on Tuesday, and there's a chance the club will reinstate him from the injured list in mid-June. The Tigers will be excited to have the 25-year-old back in their lineup, as he was slashing .217/.280/.464 with four home runs, eight runs, and eight RBI across 20 contests and posted a .795 OPS over 31 games in 2022. Carpenter's fantasy value is a bit limited due to a career 28.7% strikeout rate, but he has 25-home run potential in his bat.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (shoulder) will begin hitting progression. The 25-year-old has a sprained right shoulder, an injury he picked up near the end of April. Carpenter had played relatively well before going down with the ailment, totaling 15 hits, eight RBI, eight runs, and four homers in 69 at-bats. It's hard to say for certain when he'll be back. However, it appears Carpenter could return sometime within the next week or two.

The Detroit Tigers placed outfielder Kerry Carpenter (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 28) on Saturday with a right-shoulder sprain and called up utility player Zack Short from the minors as the team's 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles in a corresponding move. Carpenter left Thursday's game early after crashing into the outfield fence while robbing a home run, and now he'll miss a little more time. It's unclear if he'll be able to return from the injured list when he's eligible. The 25-year-old outfielder has played in 20 games for the Tigers to this point, going 15-for-69 (.217) with five doubles, four home runs and eight RBI in 75 plate appearances.