Kerry Carpenter shines in return to lineup [Video]

On Sunday, Kerry Carpenter told the Tigers he was ready. On Monday, he was batting second in the series opener against the Mariners in his first big-league game in two and a half months.

“I wouldn’t have said I was OK to go if I didn’t feel like I was good to go,” Carpenter said prior to the game.

He struck out in his first at-bat. In his second, Carpenter ripped a 97 mile per hour fastball into the Tigers’ bullpen in left. In his third, he drilled a splitter into the seats in right. He scorched a slider through the second base hole in his fourth, just for good measure. How’s that for living up to his word?

“I think just getting on time is the key for me,” Carpenter said. “Being able to hit fastballs and offspeed and is what I was doing right before I went on …