RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesKerry Carpenter's left foot remains a nagging issue.
The Detroit Tigers right fielder left the 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, July 26 , after aggravating his bruised left heel. Carpenter started the game in right field and had two plate appearances before Ben Malgeri entered for him in the field to open the fifth inning.
According to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, it's the same injury he has been dealing with over the past week , during the six-game road trip coming out of the All-Star break.
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"He felt something in his last at-bat," Hinch said Sunday. "So, he will get re-evaluated. I don't have an update."
Carpenter went 0-for-2 with two flyouts before exiting. Malgeri went 0-for-1 before Zach McKinstry pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. McKinstry reached on a walk but was thrown out trying to go from first to third base on a single.
Carpenter, who has had to deal with injuries to his lower extremities across his five-year MLB career. After being subbed out for a pinch-runner in the extra-inning win over the Cubs last Monday in Chicago, he realized he was dealing with a heel injury.
Initially, Carpenter said the injury affected him primarily as a runner instead of as a hitter, but a swing sometime during his at-bat during the fourth inning caused the flare-up, according to Hinch.
The bruise is located on his left heel, hampering his plant leg during his swing. Carpenter generates his swing power with a big load back onto his left foot, leaving him with his right foot in the air as the pitch comes in.
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On Wednesday, Carpenter told reporters in Chicago that he thought the problem originated because of a switch in cleats. Carpenter went from a style of Under Armor cleats that were discontinued to New Balance, which he believes helped cause the issue.
"Under Armour stopped making the model I've worn the last seven years,” Carpenter told reporters before the Tigers played the Cubs on Wednesday, July 22. “So I switched to New Balance because those were the only ones that felt good on my feet."
The cleats had an extra spike located under the heel, which Carpenter believed exacerbated the bruise. The equipment managers removed the extra spike from his cleats ahead of the Tigers' game on Wednesday.
Carpenter, normally a power source for Detroit's offense, has struggled in 2026. The lefty is hitting .210 13 home runs and a .698 OPS in 80 games. That includes a 6-for-50 (.120) stretch with zero home runs and RBIs, 14 strikeouts and just two walks dating back to July 1. Carpenter has produced minus-0.5 bWAR this season, per Baseball Reference , indicating he has not provided much of a positive impact this summer.
Contact Jared Ramsey at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers RF reaggravates ailing heel
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