The team with the fewest homers in the majors is calling on the slugger with the most homers in the minors for help.
After falling a season-worst 25 games under .500 thanks to another ugly offensive effort in a 5-2 loss to the Indians Tuesday, the Tigers announced they are purchasing the contract of outfielder Kerry Carpenter from Triple-A Toledo and bringing him to Detroit.
"He’ll be in the lineup and make his Major League debut as the designated hitter" on Wednesday, said A.J. Hinch.
The Tigers optioned outfielder Daz Cameron to Toledo and will have a corresponding 40-man roster move on Wednesday.
A 19th-round pick in 2019, Carpenter has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season. He began the year as an unheralded name in Double-A Erie, slugged his way to Toledo by June and arrives in Detroit in August with more home runs (30) than any player in minor league baseball.
Related
And Carpenter wasn't just hitting for power. He posted a .313 average with a 1.025 OPS across 97 games. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was a concern early in the season -- as it is for most young sluggers -- but Carpenter leveled it out in Triple-A where he had as many walks as strikeouts in 34 games.
With a historically-bad offense, the Tigers couldn't hold him back any longer. They rank last in the majors in runs scored, slugging, OPS and homers (65 in 111 games).
Even more encouraging for Carpenter, the left-handed hitter has been just as dangerous this season against left-handed pitchers (.333 AVG/.991 OPS) as right-handers (.307/1.035). There was nothing left for the 24-year-old to prove in the minors.
Now, can he start proving himself in the bigs?
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker