Nervous Detroit Tigers Await News on Hottest Hitter's Latest Injury
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The Detroit Tigers have been battling an injury plague all season long.
From outfielders Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows missing much of the season with spring training injuries, to rookie starter Jackson Jobe requiring Tommy John surgery, $15 million free agent acquisition Alex Cobb not pitching at all, starter Reece Olson missing more than a month (so far) with a finger injury — it seems like a miracle Detroit has won 53 games and shares the best record in baseball with the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, as of Tuesday morning, the Tigers hold their breath as they wait for MRI results on their current hottest hitter.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 16: Manager A.J. Hinch #14 of the Detroit Tigers walks back to the dugout after delivering the starting lineup prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman...
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 16: Manager A.J. Hinch #14 of the Detroit Tigers walks back to the dugout after delivering the starting lineup prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 16, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. MoreKerry Carpenter, the Tigers' 27-year-old designated hitter and right fielder, has been on an absolute tear over the past week. In five games, Carpenter has six hits, three of them home runs, in 13 at-bats. He has driven in five and put up a 1.769 OPS for that short span.
In another of his hits, coming on Sunday in 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins, Carpenter hustled out a triple — but then had to exit the game with a hamstring strain.
#Tigers Kerry Carpenter legged out a triple while having hamstring discomfort right out the box. pic.twitter.com/9VJV0N8s2Q — Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) June 30, 2025
Carpenter was scheduled for an MRI on Monday but as of Tuesday morning, the team had made no announcement on Carpenter's condition.
In four big league seasons, Carpenter has never made it through without an injury. He appeared in 118 games in 2023, but that remains his career high. Last season, when the Tigers pulled off a late-season turnaround to get into the American League playoffs after enduring a sub-.500 record as late as the third week in August, Carpenter managed to play only 87 games.
Carpenter suffered a strained lumbar in late 2022, a right shoulder sprain in April, 2023, and a spinal stress fracture in 2024. The hamstring issue that flared up Sunday has been a recurring one for most of this season.
Carpenter sounded hopeful when asked by reporters about his latest injury.
"It feels similar to the last time I had a little issue with it. The staff here has done a great job of getting me back pretty quickly. We'll see how it goes, but I think we're all pretty optimistic about it," he said on Sunday.
Carpenter has already belted 16 home runs for the Tigers, after compiling 18 all of last season, and a career-high 20 in 2023.
More MLB: More Tigers Bad News as Outfield 'Upgrade' Back on IL Just 4 Days After Return
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