The Tigers placed designated hitter/outfielder Kerry Carpenter on the 10-day injured list before tonight’s game against the Orioles. Rookie outfielder Eduardo Valencia was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace him on the active roster.
Carpenter is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He’d been day-to-day for the past week with what the team initially believed was a bruised heel. It’s unclear for how long he’ll be sidelined, but he’ll be out beyond next Monday’s trade deadline. Carpenter will miss the next six games which could go a long way toward shaping the trade market. That’s particularly true of the next three against Baltimore, one of the teams ahead of Detroit in the Wild Card picture.
The Tigers dropped the final two games of a winnable series against the Royals over the weekend. They fell back to 50-56 in the process and are quickly down 3-1 to the O’s at the time of this writing. They’re in fourth place in the AL Central, six games behind the division-leading White Sox. Detroit is 3.5 out with five teams to surpass in the Wild Card race.
Carpenter is having a poor season but has been one of Detroit’s best hitters against right-handed pitching over his four-plus big league seasons. Riley Greene moved to DH tonight against Kyle Bradish, drawing Matt Vierling into left field against a righty pitcher.
The 28-year-old Carpenter has now had two IL stints this season, as he also missed three weeks in May with a sprain in his left shoulder. He was hitting .216/.299/.451 at the time of that injury and has an ugly .197/.254/.386 batting line in 140 plate appearances since returning. That leaves him with a .208/.276/.416 slash with a career-high 29% strikeout rate in what’s shaping up as easily the worst season of his career.
