Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter was having a solid day at the plate on Sunday — until a late-game substitution raised some eyebrows.
With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth against the Kansas City Royals, Carpenter was scheduled to bat third. Instead, he was pulled from the lineup. Postgame, manager A.J. Hinch revealed that Carpenter was experiencing right hamstring soreness after legging out an infield single earlier in the game.
“He came out of the game with right hamstring soreness after legging out the infield single,” Hinch said as quoted by the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t know yet. He’ll undergo testing.”
Tigers Monitoring Outfield Depth Closely
The Tigers ended up falling to the Royals 4-3 in extra innings, and the bigger concern now shifts to Carpenter’s health. With Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry currently holding things down in the outfield, losing Carpenter for any stretch would be a blow — especially with his power and presence in the middle of the lineup.
Carpenter has been an important piece of Detroit’s early-season push, and Tigers fans are hoping this is nothing more than precautionary.
Stay tuned — more updates will come once test results are in.
