AJ Hinch surprises Tigers fans with exciting update on Kerry Carpenter

He's back!

Emma Lingan

Toronto Blue Jays v Detroit Tigers / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

Appearing on a Tuesday episode of "Managers at the Mic" on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio, Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch surprised and delighted fans with just four words:

"We'll have Carp today."

He was referring, of course, to Kerry Carpenter, who is set to be reinstated from the Injured List ahead of Tuesday's game against Seattle Mariners after being sidelined since May with a lumbar spine stress fracture.

Hinch's announcement came as a bit of a shock, as the 26-year-old outfielder was expected to see a lengthy stay in the minors after he suffered another setback in July. He has convinced the Tigers he's ready to return, however, after going 3-for-14 with one double and a 5:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio in four rehab games with Triple-A Toledo.

It remains unclear how the Tigers plan to use Carpenter moving forward once he returns. Hinch said that he would DH against the Mariners, but the team may choose to ease him back into things with extra days off against left-handed pitching. Still, given his .914 OPS with eight homers in 50 games earlier this season for Detroit before getting hurt, the Tigers will undoubtedly be eager to get him back in the lineup as soon as possible.

AJ Hinch provides additional injury update on Riley Greene

Hinch also provided a promising update on outfielder Riley Greene, who has been on the Injured List since July 26 with a right hamstring strain.

Greene has been traveling with the Tigers, and Hinch noted that he was set to do "a big running test on the bases" Monday after the team returned to Detroit. If all goes well, the Tigers will then formally clear Greene to join Triple-A Toledo for his rehab assignment.

The 23-year-old Greene has been a bright spot for the struggling Tigers’ offense. He is hitting .264 and leading Detroit in homers (17), runs (57) and RBIs (51). As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks during his rehab assignment, he will be eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list as soon as next weekend.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.