The final two months of the season serve as a tryout period for virtually every player on the Detroit Tigers roster as the organization begins to evaluate who it can build around for the future.
Ideally, the injured players can return and get back on the field so that management can take a close look at any players who could play a role in the future.
That’s why the return of former top prospect Parker Meadows was great news. And considering how well he’s played since returning to the team, it looks like the Tigers have a lot to think about with their outfield group.
Now it sounds like they are close to adding another of their outfielders to the team, as Kerry Carpenter could be activated from the injured list as early as Tuesday.
“On Tuesday it will be Charlotte or Detroit, but a lot will depend on how he’s doing, how he feels and where we are. We’re not going to be a day too early,” manager AJ Hinch said, according to the team’s injury page.
Carpenter was placed on the injured list in late May with what was later determined to be a stress fracture in his lumbar spine. Detroit originally placed him on the injured list for 10 days, but on July 21 he was placed on the 60-day list.
The Tigers sent him to a rehab unit in early August, and so far he has played four games with their Triple-A affiliate. He hadn’t performed well before Sunday, hitting 1-for-10, but his best performance came when he hit 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the series finale.
Carpenter was impressive early in his career, posting a slash average of .275/.336/.495 with 34 home runs, 72 extra-base hits, 103 RBI and an OPS+ of 127 in his 199 games.
His return to the field will give Detroit a much better idea of what their outfield could look like in the future with him alongside the up-and-coming Meadows.
But the Tigers won’t make long-term sacrifices to get him back on the field before he’s ready.
“We’ve done the work to get to this point. We need to take the extra time to make sure we get the most out of the next six weeks and don’t have good news on day one and another injury on day three. That would be very damaging if we want to finish the season the way we want to,” Hinch added.
