Kerry Carpenter Officially Headed to IL in Latest Setback for Tigers
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In a move that felt like the Detroit Tigers were waiting to happen, outfielder/ designated hitter Kerry Carpenter officially hit the injured list. The Tigers announced that Carpenter was placed on the 10-day IL with a left AC joint sprain.
In a corresponding move, Detroit has officially selected the contract of utility man Gage Workman from Triple-A. Workman was a part of the 2020 MLB Draft, the same draft that has now a handful of selections displayed on the roster, such as Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, and Dillon Dingler.
This is the exact opposite of what the Tigers needed at this point in the schedule. With several key players now on the injured list, Detroit has to rely on players who might not be ready to make a push at the Major League level.
To make room for Workman on the Tigers' 40-man roster, veteran and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander was transitioned to the 60-day IL. While it sounds daunting, the move doesn't impact Verlander's return, as he's likely to return to the Tigers' rotation at the end of the month and the move is back-dated to his 15-day IL date.
How Does Carpenter Going Down Impact Detroit
While Carpenter hasn't had the same clutch hits that he's become known for over the last few seasons just yet in 2026, losing Carpenter in the lineup makes it feel more lost. His average isn't where he wants it to be, but he does still have the swing to get the ball out of the ballpark.
Hitting the injured list with a .216 batting average, six home runs, 17 RBIs, and an OPS of .750 and an OPS+ of 106, Carpenter needs to get this shoulder trouble back to get those numbers up as well.
It shouldn't take Carpenter that long to rebound from the injury, which should help give the Tigers life when he and others return from the injured list. Of key positional players, Detroit is without Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and now Kerry Carpenter.
The early 2026 season has put the Tigers through the wringer, which could mean one of two things. The first, when everyone gets back to being healthy, Detroit could start playing the brand of baseball that it was expected to play coming into the campaign.
Or two, the baseball gods want the narrative to be skewed in a way that makes the Tigers the underdogs in the AL Central. At this point in the season, expectations haven't met reality, but that doesn't mean that Detroit can't thrive on the path to achieve expectations.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.