Kerry Carpenter's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) was seen running the bases on Thursday, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. This is typically the final step before embarking on a rehab assignment. Carpenter has been sidelined since May stress fracture in his spine. Prior to the injury, the 26-year-old held a strong .283/.342/.572 line with eight home runs. Given how much time the Virginia Tech product has missed, he should be expected to embark on an extended rehab stint. When he returns, Carpenter should be the favorite to see the majority of opportunities in right field. In the meantime, Wenceel Perez and Justyn-Henry Malloy should continue to see most of the starts.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) is getting close to heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Carpenter did a regular workout on the field at Comerica Park ahead of Friday's game against the visiting division-rival Minnesota Twins, participating in running, hitting, and fielding drills in his rehab from a lumbar spine stress fracture. There was initial optimism he could get activated off the injured list before the end of July, but Carpenter previously experienced a setback while running. His move to the 60-day injured list last week doesn't affect his timeline for a return, but Carpenter likely won't be back with the Tigers until sometime in mid-to-late August at this point. The 26-year-old left-handed-hitting slugger was slashing a potent .283/.342/.572 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, four triples, and 29 RBI through 163 plate appearances (50 games) as Detroit's primary right fielder and remains worth stashing in most fantasy leagues.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back), who hasn't played in a game in nearly two months due to a lumbar spine stress fracture, doesn't have a timetable for his return but is hoping to be close to ready for a long-awaited minor-league rehab assignment by the end of July. The 26-year-old appeared to be on track to return to the Tigers in late July, but he experienced discomfort in his lower back while running at the end of June. It's been disappointing for Carpenter, but he's pretty confident he'll be back this year. He was hitting .283 with eight home runs and a .914 OPS before his injury and was especially useful against right-handers, hitting .310 with a 1.004 OPS against them. When he gets closer to his return to the big leagues, fantasy managers in mixed leagues will want to consider picking him up off the waiver wire if he's available.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) has resumed light hitting. It's a positive step forward for Carpenter, who had been shut down from baseball activities for the past week or so. The 26-year-old righty masher is working his way back from a lumbar spine stress fracture in his back, and he should have a shot first at beginning a minor-league rehab assignment when play resumes in late July after the upcoming All-Star break and then returning to the Tigers before the end of the month. Before going on the 10-day injured list, Carpenter was slashing a robust .283/.342/.572 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, four triples, and 29 RBI across 163 plate appearances (50 games) as Detroit's primary right fielder and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back), who is recovering from a lumbar stress fracture in his back, did some light jogging on the field prior to Monday's contest against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and also played some light catch in the outfield. It's the first time that Carpenter has done any baseball activities since he suffered a setback in his recovery from his lumbar stress fracture in his spine. It's great news for the 26-year-old, but he still has a ways to go and probably won't be an option again for the Tigers outfield until some point in August. He's been on the injured list since late May and still doesn't have a clear timetable for a return. But when healthy, he should play regularly against right-handed pitching, at least, and will be worth a look as a waiver-wire pickup in mixed leagues after hitting .283 (41-for-145) with eight homers early in the year.