Jace Jung’s promotion, Kerry Carpenter’s hamstring and the Tigers’ CF conundrum

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DETROIT — If there is one thing Jace Jung would have done differently in spring training, perhaps it has nothing to do with his approach, swings, defense or overall performance.

Maybe he would go back to wearing his signature eye black.

Monday afternoon, Jung stood in the Tigers’ clubhouse shortly after the team announced he had been recalled from Triple-A Toledo. He talked mostly about his new goal: having fun while simultaneously reclaiming his dirtbag identity.

“Should have put it on in spring training, but I went back to eye black,” Jung said. “So now we go.”

Sans the eyeblack that fits the gritty image he cultivated at Texas Tech, Jung endured a difficult spring training. After the Tigers missed out on signing Alex Bregman, the third-base job seemed like Jung’s to lose. The Tigers had called up Jung down the stretch last season. He struggled at times but also had a .362 on-base percentage in his first 34 major-league games. He underwent surgery for a wrist injury over the offseason and came to camp feeling good.

Then he hit .121. He could never find his rhythm. He lost the job.

“It’s not easy getting sent down, for sure,” Jung said. “That’s probably one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had.”

Jace Jung was called up in part to balance the roster with another left-handed hitter. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)

So on his first day back in Triple A — where he had an .831 OPS last season — Jung grabbed his previously abandoned stick of eyeblack, smeared the war paint across his face and went to work. Jung is actually getting called up amid a 3-for-27 slump, and some of his surface numbers in Toledo were less than stellar. He hit .239 with three home runs. His defense at third base remains a question. But he also walked at a 22.7 percent clip, had a .409 on-base percentage and posted an impressive 91.3 mph average exit velocity.

“Just go out there, have fun, get back to my college days, going out there with a little chip on your shoulder,” Jung said. “Go out there and go prove somebody wrong.”

The Tigers called up Jung after Sunday evening’s loss to the Royals. Ryan Kreidler, who had only four hits and struck out 19 times in 38 at-bats, went down to Toledo in Jung’s place. The Tigers are combating various roster issues as they navigate a lengthy list of injured players. On more than one occasion this season, the Tigers found themselves lacking a left-handed bat off the bench in big situations. The Tigers are also preparing to face a run of right-handed pitching, meaning Jung should be cast into the fire and given a chance to reclaim a key role on the Tigers’ infield.

“He can put up a really good at-bat,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “As he continued to work on his defense, I think things settled down a little bit after a really whirlwind spring for him. He’s a good player. He’s a good addition.”

Good news on Kerry Carpenter

When A.J. Hinch sat down for his Sunday afternoon postgame news conference, the vibe was not exactly good. Hinch was asked right away if Kerry Carpenter, who had left the game in the late innings, was OK.

“No,” Hinch said. And then he clarified: “Well, I don’t know yet.”

The Tigers removed Carpenter from the game with right hamstring soreness, apparently suffered when Carpenter beat out an infield single in the seventh inning. Carpenter did not appear in the Tigers’ clubhouse after the game, and there was real fear the Tigers could be adding to their long injured list, this time losing one of their most important hitters. Carpenter has five home runs and an .899 OPS so far this season.

A.J. Hinch on Kerry Carpenter’s hamstring:

“I think we’re going to go day by day with him and see what he feels like. … The tests were a good sign that it’s mild. It still means something is there. We have to be smart about it. It’s why he’s not in the lineup today.”

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) April 21, 2025

But Monday afternoon, Carpenter was spotted running in the outfield, seemingly without much sign of pain. Carpenter again was not at his locker during the team’s pregame media access period, but for now, he will not be going on the injured list.

“I think we’re going to go day by day with him and see what he feels like,” Hinch said. “I think for him and for us, the tests were a good sign that it’s mild. It still means something is there. We have to be smart about it.”

Carpenter was not in Monday’s starting lineup against the Padres, and it seems the Tigers will have to monitor him closely going forward. But with outfielders Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez and Manuel Margot already on the injured list, they are thankful Carpenter will remain active.

“Happy to get the news last night that it wasn’t going to be an IL stint,” Hinch said. “Happier to see him moving around today, doing a few things. We’ll gauge what we can do with him.”

Javier Báez: Center fielder?

The Tigers are 13-9. Off to a strong start. Sitting in first place in the AL Central.

Still, they have to put out roster fires almost every day.

“It doesn’t feel great knowing you’re missing Plan A, Plan B, Plan C,” Hinch said. “But whatever plan this is, we’re going to go with it, and we feel like we can win today’s game with it.”

The Tigers are down three center fielders in Meadows, Vierling and Pérez. They took some by surprise before Opening Day, when they announced Kreidler would be on the roster and function as the team’s center fielder to start the season. The Tigers had optioned Kreidler toward the end of camp but brought him back when Pérez’s back flared up after the Tigers’ final Florida spring training game.

At that point, the Tigers were well aware of Kreidler’s offensive limitations. They were choosing him for his defense, leaving Justyn-Henry Malloy off the initial roster as a result, under the belief they needed outfield defense to win.

Kriedler started 14 of the Tigers’ first 21 games in center field, but his bat predictably slumped. Now, Kreidler is back in the minors, and Jung is up in part to balance the roster with another left-handed hitter. And the Tigers are left with an interesting situation in center field.

At least until Vierling returns sometime next month, Javier Báez could function as the team’s primary option in center. Báez began working as a part-time outfielder late in spring training and has so far made three appearances (though no starts) in center field. The Tigers will still play Riley Greene at times in center field, something they were hoping to avoid in the spring, and could begin playing Zach McKinstry in center, too.

Báez has largely embraced his new, more versatile role and has seemed energized by the challenge — and longstanding dream — of playing in the outfield. Hinch called Báez on Sunday night to tell him he would start Monday in center field. He wanted to hear Báez’s reaction for himself.

“He’s gonna get a lot of innings out there,” Hinch said. “Obviously he wants to do well. There’s gonna be some learning curve for him, just like there is for anybody who’s not playing a primary position. But he can do it.”

Báez handling more regular center-field duty could be a highly interesting storyline. But after quickly pulling the plug on Kreidler, the Tigers will have at least short-term questions about the outfield defense they had deemed so valuable.

“I haven’t played a full game out there,” Báez said, “but I feel good out there.”

(Top photo of Jace Jung: Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)

This news was originally published on this post .

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