AJ Hinch quickly remedies obvious mistake with Kerry Carpenter amid historic early-season struggles

There’s a difference between patience and stubbornness. AJ Hinch has been toeing that line — and Kerry Carpenter paid the price.

Through four games, Carpenter struck out 10 times — the most strikeouts ever by a Tiger in the first four games of a season. It's historic, yes. But not the kind anyone wants their name attached to. And yet, Hinch kept writing his name at the very top of the lineup card.

This is where the frustration sets in, because this isn’t some unsolvable baseball mystery. The data is sitting right there, practically begging to be acknowledged.

Carpenter has never profiled well as a leadoff hitter. In that role, he owns a career slash line of .238/.286/.434 — a clear drop-off from what he’s shown elsewhere. Move him down just one spot, and suddenly he looks like a different hitter entirely: .298/.352/.588 batting second. Slide him into the three-hole, and he’s still producing at a high level with a .285/.329/.583 line.

That’s not a small sample quirk — that’s a pattern.

And Hinch finally got wise to that ahead of the Tigers' second game against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Carpenter slid all the way down from leadoff to fifth in the order.

AJ Hinch isn't doing Kerry Carpenter any favors by continuing to slot him in the leadoff spot

Leadoff hitters are supposed to set the tone. Work counts. Get on base. Apply pressure. Carpenter’s skillset has never really aligned with that. He’s a damage-first bat, someone who thrives when he can hunt pitches and drive the ball, not when he’s tasked with grinding out at-bats to open a game.

Those mismatched expectations compounded for an already brutal start. When a hitter is scuffling this badly, the last thing you want to do is keep forcing him into a role where he’s historically uncomfortable — especially when the numbers clearly suggest a better alternative.

This is where lineup construction becomes more than just filling out nine names. It’s about putting players in positions where they can succeed.

Hinch has built a reputation as a thoughtful, analytically inclined manager. That’s why this decision feels so out of character — and frankly, so avoidable. The Tigers don’t need Carpenter to be a table-setter. They need him to be a run producer. They need the version of him that shows up in the second or third spot, the one that drives the ball with authority and changes games with one swing.

Instead, they’re watching him spiral in a role that doesn’t fit. And at some point, patience stops being a virtue and starts becoming a liability.

Thankfully, Hinch was quick to adjust. History tells us that fifth still isn't the ideal place for Carpenter to live, but it might help him find his footing again after such a quiet start.