Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

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.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's victory against the Boston Red Sox. Baddoo was recently recalled from Triple-A Toledo with outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) being placed on the 10-day injured list. Baddoo has been a popular preseason pick for managers over the past few seasons, but has failed to live up to expectations throughout his career. With Carpenter sidelined, Baddoo should continue to see at-bats versus right-handed pitching, but he will need to string together some good games before managers have reason to take a chance with him. Baddoo will look to keep it going on Friday in a tough matchup versus Tanner Houck and the Boston Red Sox.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's victory versus the Boston Red Sox. The homer gives Greene 10 on the season to accompany 22 RBI and a .234 batting average. The talented outfielder was a popular name amongst the fantasy community entering the season, but has been more inconsistent than managers would prefer. The power is nice, but after hitting .280 with six homers and 14 RBI in April, Greene has hit a weak .208 with three homers and seven RBI in May. Overall, Greene should continue to provide power numbers and his month of April is more accurate of what his numbers should be moving forward.

After making his big-league debut in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Detroit Tigers have sent pitching prospect Keider Montero back to Triple-A Toledo. It was an expected move for the club's No. 7 prospect, according to MLB.com. Montero worked 4 1/3 innings in his debut and was a bag of mixed results. Montero recorded five strikeouts, but also allowed five hits, four runs and one walk. Montero, 23, remains a bright spot on the farm for the Tigers, but will need an injury or two to make an impact at the big-league level in 2024. Montero can safely remain on the waiver wire.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/infielder Matt Vierling was busy on Wednesday, going 4-for-8 with two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBI across two games of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vierling increased the Tigers' lead with a fifth-inning, three-run homer in Game 1, later continuing his hot hitting with a solo home run in the third inning of Game 2. The big day raised his triple-slash line to .289/.320/.503 with seven homers, 28 RBI, and 22 runs scored through 159 at-bats this year. The 27-year-old utility man is worth riding in fantasy while he's hot at the dish, but Vierling doesn't seem like much of a long-term solution in Detroit's low-scoring offense.