Detroit Tigers OF Kerry Carpenter exits with hamstring strain

Detroit Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter was removed from the game in the fifth inning of a win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, June 29. After the game, he said he felt a sensation in his right hamstring while running the bases.

Carpenter had just finished legging out an RBI triple that gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead, and speedy Wenceel Pérez replaced him, making it appear a normal substitution. But Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed after the game that Carpenter was removed to protect his hamstring.

“He felt that same sensation that he’s felt,” Hinch said. “When Kerry hit it he probably thought double, and then saw that he could get it into a triple, and he felt that sensation.”,

The extent of the injury is unknown, though Hinch said Carpenter would undergo tests to determine its severity.

Carpenter has been dealing with hamstring tightness for much of the season, but has played through it while putting up productive numbers on offense and fielding in the corner outfield positions. He went 2-for-3 Sunday with a first-inning home run — his 16th of the year — and the triple.

Carpenter said he felt the sensation while fielding a ball in an earlier inning, but didn’t think it was significant until running out the triple.

“It’s really annoying,” Carpenter said of his hamstring tightness. “But, man, everyone has been working hard on it. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but we’ll see how it goes from tonight on.”

Hinch said sending Carpenter back out on defense after the triple would have been “careless,” calling it an “easy decision” to take him out of the game.

Carpenter doesn’t know if he’ll be ready to play in the Tigers’ next game — Tuesday, July 1, against the Washington Nationals on the road — but praised the team’s staff for getting him ready to play quickly in the past when his hamstring has felt a similar level of pain.

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com

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