Kerry Carpenter DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) is not in the team's starting lineup for the pivotal Game 5 against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians on Saturday in the American League Division Series at Progressive Field. Carpenter injured his left hamstring running the bases in the Game 4 loss on Thursday, but there's a chance he would have been on the bench anyway on Saturday with left-hander Matthew Boyd going for Cleveland. It remains to be seen if the 27-year-old left-handed hitter will be available to pinch hit later in the game. With Carpenter out, Justyn-Henry Malloy is the designated hitter on Saturday and will bat leadoff for Detroit. The 24-year-old hit just over .200 with eight homers and 21 RBI in 71 games in his rookie season in 2024 but has been better in October, going 5-for-7 with a double and two walks in his first six postseason games. Malloy also has two hits in his three career at-bats versus Boyd.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) will be a game time decision on Saturday in their ALDS finale against the Cleveland Guardians, according to manager A.J. Hinch. Carpenter was removed from Game 4 in the sixth inning with a hamstring injury he obtained running the bases. He will continue to be evaluated into Saturday to determine if he'll be able to go against Guardians' scheduled starter Matthew Boyd. The lefty's status for Saturday could be consequential for the Tigers' ALCS hopes. If he needs to be replaced on the roster, he would not be eligible for Detroit in the ALCS. If Carpenter must be replaced, Bligh Madris would likely take his spot as a contingency plan. Madris hit for a 95 OPS+ in 67 at-bats during the 2024 season but saw minimal chances against lefties, as will be the case Saturday against Boyd. Carpenter similarly saw lefties a minimal amount in the regular season, taking away much of the value either may have for DFS managers. Both should be avoided in DFS formats, as their impact on the game will only happen against a right-hander coming out of the bullpen.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) will test out his hamstring injury on Friday and Saturday before the team decides his status for Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Saturday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians on Saturday at Progressive Field. "We're gonna take as much time as we can to see what he can and can't handle," manager A.J. Hinch said. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter injured his left hamstring running the bases in the Game 4 loss on Thursday and had to be removed from the game. Even if Carpenter's hamstring checks out fine, he could start on the bench on Saturday for the winner-take-all game against Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd. In his first six playoff games this year, Carpenter has gone 4-for-16 (.250) with a homer, three RBI, a walk and five strikeouts in his 17 plate appearances.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) departed Game 4 of the American League Division Series early at Comerica Park on Thursday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians due to a left-hamstring issue. Carpenter injured himself running the bases in the sixth inning and was replaced by pinch-hitter Jace Jung in his next at-bat. Before leaving, Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a single, a run scored and two strikeouts in the 5-4 loss. It's unclear how serious the 27-year-old's injury is, but the good news is the team will have a day off on Friday before the deciding Game 5 of the ALDS back in Cleveland at Progressive Field on Saturday. The Tigers can ill-afford to lose one of their better hitters for any amount of time, especially if they advance to the Championship Series. Coming into Thursday's game, Carpenter had gone 3-for-13 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored in five postseason games.UPDATE: Manager A.J. Hinch said Carpenter will have tests done on his left hamstring.

Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter Kerry Carpenter came up huge for his team in Monday's American League Division Series Game 2 3-0 win over the Guardians. Carpenter, who came into the game at DH in the eighth inning, went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run. With the game scoreless in the top of the ninth inning, the 27-year-old launched an Emmanuel Clase hanging slider into the right-field seats to score three. Carpenter had a great offensive regular season, slashing .284/.345/.587 with 18 HR, 37 runs scored, and 57 RBI in 296 plate appearances. One blemish in his game is his inability to hit left-handed pitching. Carpenter only had 32 regular-season plate appearances against lefties and hit a poor .107. He was not in the starting lineup for Game 2 because the Guardians started lefty Matthew Boyd. This shouldn't affect him for Game 3, as the Guardians' probable starter will be righty Alex Cobb.