KANSAS CITY, MO – The Detroit Tigers added another player to the injured list.
Kerry Carpenter was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder AC joint sprain before the finale of a three-game series Sunday, May 10, against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
There isn’t a timeline for his return.
To replace Carpenter, the Tigers promoted infielder Gage Workman from Triple-A Toledo. He already has 12 games in his MLB career, all in 2025 with the Chicago Cubs (nine games) and Chicago White Sox (three games).
The Tigers have 17 players on the injured list.
Carpenter suffered the left shoulder injury in the first inning of Saturday’s 5-1 loss, when he slammed into the side wall in foul territory on a misplay in right field that resulted in Bobby Witt Jr.’s inside-the-park home run.
The 28-year-old outfielder/designated hitter has a .216 batting average with six home runs, 11 walks and 40 strikeouts in 37 games, registering a .750 OPS. He has been on the injured list in each season of his five-year MLB career.
To create space for Workman, the Tigers transferred right-handed Justin Verlander (left hip inflammation) to the 60-day injured list, making him ineligible to return to the Tigers until May 31.
The Tigers selected Workman – a switch-hitting shortstop who eventually quit right-handed hitting due to strikeout struggles – in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Arizona State, at No. 102 overall.
The 26-year-old was picked up by the Cubs in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft after the Tigers left him unprotected. After that, he made his MLB debut for the Cubs on March 29 as part of the 2025 Opening Day roster.
Workman switched from the Cubs to the White Sox in April 2025, as the Cubs on April 23 designated him for assignment and the White Sox on April 26 acquired him in a trade for cash considerations.
By mid-May 2025, the White Sox designated Workman for assignment – and once he cleared waivers, he was returned to the Tigers as part of the Rule 5 draft process.
Since then, Workman has been in Triple-A Toledo.
In 2026, Workman hit .358 with four home runs, 13 walks and 35 strikeouts across 35 games for the Mud Hens, posting a 1.003 OPS. He played 129 innings at shortstop, 94 innings at second base and 65⅔ innings at third base.
Strikeouts have been the biggest problem for Workman throughout his professional career, but he has lowered his strikeout rate to 23.3% while maintaining an 8.7% strikeout rate at the Triple-A level in 2026.
He carries a 41.2% strikeout rate in his 12-game MLB career.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kerry Carpenter to injured list; Detroit Tigers call up Gage Workman
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
