Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty, Kerry Carpenter suffer setbacks with back injuries
MINNEAPOLIS — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty continues to suffer from a back injury. The Tigers plan to trade Flaherty, who is pitching on an expiring contract, at the July 30 trade deadline, but his value is decreasing with each injection.
It seems like a messy situation.
So far, Flaherty has needed two injections — in the span of three weeks — to relieve pain in his lower back. He received the first injection June 10, then the second injection Tuesday. The Tigers have not considered putting Flaherty on the injured list, but he will miss Wednesday's start against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
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"That's pretty normal," manager A.J. Hinch said of Flaherty's second back injection. "It's similar to what happened last year, where the shot that he needed, sometimes they take, sometimes they don't. He still was feeling a little bit off, so another injection was warranted."
If healthy, Flaherty will start at some point during the four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians that opens Monday at Comerica Park, seemingly lined up for the opener.
The 28-year-old, who signed a one-year, $14 million contract last December, made his most recent start Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in 5⅔ innings.
Flaherty owns a 3.24 ERA with 14 walks (4% walk rate) and 115 strikeouts (33% strikeout rate) across 89 innings in 15 starts. He ranks in the 95th percentile in both walk rate and strikeout rate, along with being in the 88th percentile for a 2.87 expected ERA.
It's been Flaherty's best season since 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals — when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting — but in 2024 with the Tigers, he has missed two starts with a back injury. He experienced back tightness for the first time this season in his June 4 start, forcing an early exit.
"We haven't talked, like," Hinch said, when asked about sending Flaherty to the injured list. "The doctors have told us that we could do it by skipping a start and getting him back in the rotation next week. Skipping a start allows for the medicine to kick in and get him feeling better."
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Flaherty didn't travel with the Tigers to Minneapolis, instead staying in Los Angeles to receive the second injection in his back from the same doctor who issued the first injection. He is expected to play catch later this week to test the health of his lower back.
"He's going to be back, hopefully on a mound, this weekend and preparing for a start," Hinch said, "which is good news. It's certainly better than what it could be."
Flaherty also dealt with lower back pain last season, in which he needed an injection. In 2023, he posted a 4.99 ERA with 66 walks and 148 strikeouts over 144⅓ innings with the Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.
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Kerry Carpenter shut down
Outfielder Kerry Carpenter (lumbar spine stress fracture) experienced discomfort during his return-to-play progression from a lower back injury, so he is back to square one, with no more baseball activities.
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The 26-year-old was initially cleared for baseball activities June 24, which put him on track to potentially return to the Tigers in late July, but he has been shut down after one week of baseball activities, including light hitting drills. The Tigers placed Carpenter on the injured list May 29, retroactive to May 27.
It's unclear if Carpenter will return in the 2024 season. He is hitting .283 with eight home runs, 11 walks and 38 strikeouts across 50 games, posting a .914 OPS.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty to miss Wednesday start in Minnesota
