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Kerry Carpenter's return shows he was missing piece for Tigers during lengthy absence

He's not just back; he is SO back.
Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Seattle Mariners v Detroit Tigers / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

The Detroit Tigers scored a whopping 15 runs against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. American League Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal earned his league-leading 14th win on the mound.

And yet, those still weren't even the biggest storylines from Tuesday's 15-1 Tigers victory at Comerica Park.

That distinction went to Kerry Carpenter, who homered twice in his triumphant return from a back injury. In a somewhat surprising development, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced earlier that day that Carpenter would be reinstated from the Injured List prior to Tuesday's game after being sidelined since May with a lumbar spine stress fracture.

Carpenter was the DH in Tuesday's contest, and the timeline for his return to regular outfield play remains unknown as Hinch plans to gradually ease him back into activity. Still, his bat was a sight for sore eyes in a batting order that desperately needed him.

Kerry Carpenter's return shows he was missing piece for Tigers during lengthy absence

Despite Carpenter's back injury, the 2024 season has been the best of his three-year MLB career. He demolishes right-handed pitchers and is hitting .310 with a 1.004 OPS against them this year. Given that the Tigers rank 26th in MLB for their production against righty pitchers – though you'd never guess it based on how they lit up Seattle's George Kirby in Tuesday's game – Carpenter's return should provide a massive boost to their offense that has seen so many guys come and go.

Carpenter's return seemed to light a fire under the rest of the Tigers' lineup as well. Catcher Jake Rogers busted out of his slump for three hits – including a grand slam – and seven RBIs, while third baseman Gio Urshela racked up four hits and three runs. Heck, even Javy Báez got a hit and knocked in two runs.

On the pitcher's mound, Skubal not only strengthened his Cy Young case but also took the American League lead in each of the Triple Crown categories with 14 wins, 180 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA. Joey Wentz also recorded the first save of his MLB career. What a night.

If this is what the Kerry Carpenter effect looks like, sign us up for more. That was a lot of fun to watch.

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Emma Lingan

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.