Tigers move Wenceel Pérez to 60-day injured list

He was struck in the face by a plyometric band in the training room after Tuesday’s game and has not played since. It’s hard to understand Pérez’s return timeline and he was reportedly seeking further evaluation in Houston. Trei Cruz will take his roster spot for the time being.

The accident occurred during his typical postgame routine. As of right now, he remains under evaluation, so we’ll know soon if he will require a trip to the injured list.

Pérez’s 40-degree, 98-mph homer to right in the second definitely got some help from the wind, but he’ll take it. Pérez is hitting just .175/.241/.302 in 137 plate appearances, and he’d probably be in Triple-A right now if the Tigers were at full strength. As is, he’s essentially an everyday player, having started seven games in a row and 15 out of 17 since Kerry Carpenter went on the IL.

Gage Workman is replacing him on the roster. Carpenter was hurt Saturday while running into the side wall down the right field line on Bobby Witt Jr.'s inside-the-park homer. The Tigers will probably give Colt Keith more time at DH with Carpenter out, which would open up starts for Workman at third. Wenceel Pérez is also in line for some extra at-bats as a right fielder.

Carpenter was hurt running into the side wall on Bobby Witt Jr.'s inside-the-park homer and is probably going to be day-to-day. It might be best if he DH’s a little bit, opening up some more starts for Wenceel Pérez.

It’s the second career multisteal game for Pérez; he previously had two last July 29 against the D-backs. He’s batting .170/.241/.302 in 58 plate appearances since Parker Meadows’ injury gave him an opportunity, so he needs to take a step forward to ensure that he sticks in Detroit’s plans. Some would already like to see Max Clark get a look in his place.

Perez got the Tigers on the board with a two-run single off of MacKenzie Gore in the fourth inning. He also reached on a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning, swiped second base and took third on an error, but the Tigers were unable to cash him in. On the season, the 26-year-old outfielder is now hitting .140/.204/.280 with two homers, five RBI and one stolen base through his first 54 plate appearances on the season.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Báez is dealing with a high-grade ankle sprain and didn’t offer a definitive return timetable. It’s an extremely encouraging diagnosis after Báez appeared to suffer a serious right leg injury during Tuesday’s game against the Braves on an awkward slide into first base while trying to avoid a tag. The 33-year-old underwent an MRI that didn’t reveal any structural damage, but is still going to miss at least a couple weeks, if not longer. It’ll be Wenceel Pérez taking over in center field during his absence. There’s a chance the Tigers decide to bring up top prospect Max Clark at some point in the near future if they decide he’s finally ready.

Pérez started the game on the bench with the Tigers facing left-handed starter Martin Perez. Javier Baez started in centerfield while Matt Vierling began in right field. Baez appeared to suffer a significant ankle injury, which brought Pérez into the game. While the home run was an encouraging sign for Pérez, Baez’ injury could potentially open up playing time for the 26-year-old outfielder. The Tigers have used Pérez as a regular before and with Parker Meadows also sidelined, Pérez, Vierling and Riley Greene are the only players with experience in centerfield currently on the Tigers 26-man roster. Pérez is worth adding in AL-Only leagues right away.

Pérez is now 1-for-26 after not having any good at-bats today, but it’s still encouraging that he’s struck out only twice since his recall and 11 of his 23 balls in play have been hard-hit. Also, his one hit was an eighth-inning, go-ahead home run. The Tigers figure to stick with him.