CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers will have to wait a bit longer for the return of Kerry Carpenter.
A setback in his rehab process occurred while starting his hitting progression this past weekend. The 25-year-old, placed on the injured list April 29 with a right shoulder sprain, reported mild discomfort while going through tee work.
“Natural concern level,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. “We’re going to have to wait until he can do a little bit more and slow his progression down a little bit more.”
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Carpenter is scheduled to be re-evaluated at the end of this week.
The Tigers return to Comerica Park, where Carpenter is rehabbing, on Thursday before Friday’s opener of a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners. That’s when Hinch and athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks will get to see him in person. Carpenter needs to be re-evaluated before he can resume baseball activities.
“The good news of reintegrating him into that pretty soon will probably determine how much concern we have,” Hinch said. “If we can get him going, but he was sore, so he’s out.”
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Carpenter, a left-handed slugger, is hitting .217 with four home runs, five walks and 22 strikeouts in 20 games this season. He suffered the shoulder injury April 27 while robbing a home run and crashing into the right-field wall at Comerica Park.
Beau Brieske throws again
Right-hander Beau Brieske hasn’t pitched in a game since spring training.
The 25-year-old landed on the injured list March 30, retroactive to March 27, before being diagnosed with a right ulnar nerve entrapment. He experienced a setback while throwing a live batting practice session at the end of April, but less than two weeks later, he has been cleared to throw again.
Brieske resumed throwing Monday.
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This week, Brieske is focused on increasing this throwing volume in Lakeland, Florida.
It’s unclear when he will throw another bullpen.
Brieske missed the second half of the 2022 season with a right forearm strain, which morphed into biceps tendinitis, but didn’t need surgery. Before the injury, he posted a 4.19 ERA with 25 walks and 54 strikeouts across 81⅔ innings in 15 starts.
Other injury updates
• Left-hander Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain) completed his third bullpen Saturday and will throw his fourth bullpen Wednesday. It’s unclear how many bullpens he needs to throw before starting a rehab assignment. The 26-year-old started playing catch five times per week Feb. 28, advanced to six times per week April 8 and threw his first bullpen April 29.
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• Right-hander Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, lumbar strain) has advanced from playing catch three times to week to four times per week. The 26-year-old started playing catch three times per week Feb. 24 during spring training.
• Right-hander Matt Manning (right foot fracture) continues to progress through his throwing program but hasn’t started bullpens.
• Right-hander Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain), who threw his first bullpen Friday, completed his second bullpen Tuesday. The 25-year-old is scheduled for another bullpen session later this week. If he stays healthy, he could be a big addition to the Tigers’ bullpen at some point this season.
• Right-hander Trey Wingenter, who hasn’t pitched since April 15 because of a right biceps strain, will be re-evaluated at the end of the week. The 29-year-old, who has a long list of injuries in his past, is awaiting clearance to resume a throwing progression. He made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster and appeared in six games.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.