3:30pm: The Tigers have placed Ibanez on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, with Perez recalled in the corresponding move.
2:56pm: The Tigers are calling up infielder/outfielder Wenceel Perez for his major league debut. Perez announced the news himself on his Instagram story. The team hasn’t confirmed the move themselves just yet, nor have the Tigers announced the corresponding 26-man roster move. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Perez will be replacing Andy Ibanez, who has some sort of injury. It’s not yet clear what that injury is or how significant it is.
Perez, 24, ranks as the Tigers’ No. 20 prospect at both Baseball America and MLB.com. He can provide the Tigers with an option at as many as five spots on the diamond. The versatile switch-hitter has played exclusively in the outfield in his first eight Triple-A games of the season, but he’s split the bulk of his professional career between the two middle infield slots, playing 1871 innings at shortstop and 1818 innings at second base.
While he’s out to a bit of a slow start this season, hitting .212/.297/.485 with a homer and four steals in 37 plate appearances, Pere turned in a strong .264/.394/.496 showing in his first 160 Triple-A plate appearances last year (124 wRC+). He regularly posts strong walk rates and well below-average strikeout rates in the minors. Perez may not have elite power or speed, but he popped a career-high 14 homers in 2023 and has averaged 22 stolen bases per year dating back to 2021.
Scouting reports on Perez note that he easily has the range to play second base but is hampered there by inconsistent throws. The Tigers are hopeful that top prospect Colt Keith can handle that position long-term anyhow, and they’re stuck with Javier Baez’s contract at shortstop, so a move to the outfield makes sense as Perez deepens his defensive versatility to prep for the utility role that both BA and MLB.com suggest he can fill.
The Tigers selected Perez to the 40-man roster following the 2022 season. He’s in the second of three minor league option years and can be freely shuttled between Toledo and Detroit this year without needing to worry about waivers. He will likely replace Ibanez on the club’s bench next to Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry.
It would be hard to play worse than Javier Baez, so give Wenceel a shot (at shortstop, not just utility).
I know your comment is perhaps in jest, but what would you do with Baez? And, isn’t he still elite defensively? Honest questions, I’m not trying to be a jerk.
I’m not saying cut Baez now and make Wenceel the everyday shortstop! I’m just saying give the kid a chance to play because the bar is really low. If Javy’s bat doesn’t heat up just a little when the temps and humidity go up in June, it will be time to cut him and eat the pay.
Oh, that makes sense.
A Falcon9 cost $64M, so jettisoning Javy as far away from Detroit as possible would be a substantial cost savings that could be spent on a badly needed bat.
And, I actually like Baez.
It likely would have been Kreidler or Leonard first up but they both got hurt. I agree throw Perez in at short and let Baez sit. I’d rather see those 3 youngsters play than Baez keep this up. Meadows hasn’t hit well so far either though so maybe he’ll get at bats in CF too.
The Tigers are a conundrum of a team. Seemingly decent pitching, highly suspect offense. Javier Baez is a disaster of the highest order, I think he’s up there with Chris Davis for whose career fell harder off a cliff. They’re going to have to eat that contract, the guy has absolutely nothing left besides his defense, but the lightest hitting starting SS’s in the league’s history have all been more valuable hitters than what he has devolved into today. Let’s hope Perez starts hot and never looks back because the Tigers are going to need all the hitting they can get.
He has a -11 ops+, does that mean he’s 11 percent worse than just not having anyone play?
For as bad as he has become offensively, he’s actually directly contributed to two of their wins this year with his bat….and it’s not like ANYONE outside of Riley Greene is hitting AT ALL.
He is what he is at this point. He’s still the best SS defensively the Tigers have in their organization–and with Kreidler out for the next month there isn’t even anyone else capable of plus-defense at SS.
Reality is that he has become Tigers version of the Wings D-man Petry, or what Cam Sutton was for Lions:
a below average player–but the best his team has–that has become a scapegoat for fans and is now more of a symbol of fans discontent rather than a player.
Baez could hit a walk off grand slam and the next night be booed mercilessly the first time he swung at an outside slider.
For me, I’ll take his defense and the occasional “single-Stolen Base–game winning run scored” and “go ahead sac fly” over the alternative– which is to eat the contract, not spend on a replacement (cuz if C.I. didn’t before for a third baseman why would he do so to replace a $100million toilet flush), and trot out a bunch of 4a guys that give you Oakland-A’s level infield D.
I even took him as my double down to hit tonight, I figured after having writers make a big deal yesterday about sitting it out he was raring to go. The loss of Miguel is the big problem, blaming Baez for this start is stupid. This team has to find it’s way, and the sooner the better.
The Tigers had a player who could have stepped in for Baez, and that was Zack Short. He likely would have posted a low average (.220-.230), hit double digit HRs, stolen a dozen bases, played solid defense, and walked more and struck out less than Javy. He also knows how to bunt. But, he would have required a raise from the virtual nothing that he was getting paid, so Harris waived him, and he got claimed. For Nothing. Just like what the return looked like for Candelario, for Turnbull, and for ERod.
Short was not better than the other backup infielders they already had. He was not good period and Turnbull was a headache and played like crap. McKinistry has a good glove, so does Kreidler and Leonard is a superior offensive player to Short.
You conveniently only mention the bad things Harris has done, as you always seem to.
Greenberg is the GM now. Have you seen any bad deals since he came in? Name one.
As usual, stupid stuff from STYMEEDONE! Your half brain cell is non functioning. I’m glad Motor City Beach Bum called him out. If enough people like him and I do, maybe he’ll crawl back under the Harris hating rock he slimed out from! Geezus!
They’ve done something other than sit on their hands since then?
I had suggestions earlier..deaf ears.
There were a couple of rookies they could have traded high on but now…..no way. I blame greed.
Definition of recall: Officially order (someone) to return to a place. As stated in the story, Wenceel Perez has never been on a major league roster. He cannot return to a place he’s never been. He’s simply being called up from the minors for his debut. This site’s headline writer always gets this wrong. (P.S.: Good Luck, Wenceel!)
Some commenters always get this wrong.
He was on the major-league roster in Spring Training by virtue of being on the 40-man roster. Then he was optioned down to AAA before the regular season. “Recall” is the correct word for bringing back a person on the 40-man who has been optioned down, whether they have played in a regular season MLB game or not.
The move on from Miguel is looking a bit painful. His hitting was no joke as his ability to drive in runs when presented with the opportunity. T.he kids and a paper bag might be too tough to hit their way out of it right now.
Still they are going to have to step it up, perhaps some very small ball. Yes they are hitting the ball hard at people and that will change, but so might it be that their pitching starts to slip as well.
Miguel was huge in stature as well as ability that befits a hall of Fame player. Oh well it’s early, but we sure would like to see more hitting. Go Tigers !
Lol. Good trolling
Not sure what Ryan Kreidler did in a past life to deserve so much bad luck, but this has to make his latest setback sting even more, as he surely would have been called up before Wenceel.
try not hitting horribly in his MLB ab’s and dominate minor league pitchers
He’s had less than 100 AB’s in the MLB because of his various injuries. He was slated to be our SS of the future in 2020-2021 and that was because he DID hit well in AAA and played solid defense. And then he broke his hand, had surgery, and we signed Baez.
Tigers desperately need a 2 hitter. Batting average is an overrated stat,but they need Luis Arraez type and to move Meadows and Torkelson down in lineup. Cahna should leadoff with Arraez type at 2
Bluntly stated: Our mediocre infield defense and erratic clutch hitting get a downgrade.
No Eddys Leonard either?
He’s hurt too. Too bad. Him I really want to see play. He’s looked great since he came over from the Dodgers.
Great, just what we need. Another struggling hitter. Chris I, please sell this team to someone who cares. I know you don’t have to spend $300 million a year, but a couple of competitive offensive players wouldn’t hurt.
There really wasn’t an option worth signing once they traded for Canha. They needed a RH hitter with power. JDM was not the answer. They didn’t want a full time DH. With Jung close to ready, signing Chapman to a multi year contract (and giving up a draft pick) wasn’t the answer. He strikes out at a high rate, HRs have declined, and so has his average, while playing solid D. Sound like any other IF signed as a FA on this team? Bellinger was also risky and hits Lefty, something Detroit has in abundance. They needed an Arozarena type, and one just wasn’t available. Urshela was the defensive answer for 3B, and was in the price range and years needed. Just going to have to wait to see if the young kids figure it out. Hinch never figured out Phil Maton shouldn’t have Ben batting 4th until it was too late last year. Torkelson is not the right fit for 2nd. Move Greene to 2nd, Canha 3rd and Tork 4th.
Like you said a couple days ago if they can stay competitive and others drop down the pecking order maybe they can go after a Bregman or Arozarena type at the deadline.
Gio’s been solid. Lives up to his rep defensively, doesn’t give up at bats. Can’t ask for much more…
I’ll admit so far so good with him. He’s not one of the guys underperforming.
For once, a sort of lucid thought from STYMEEDONE, however sometimes the blind squirrel finds a nut. But one question that puzzles me….who’s Ben and why did Maton make him bat fourth? Last I checked, Hinch made out the lineup. Always something stupid in a post by STYMEEDONE, that’s why I called it a sort of lucid post by him. He went from his former self and reverted to his demented persona all in one comment.
Well, he doesn’t make.insipid personal attacks against the other MLBTR users. If people didn’t complain about stuff…..You’d be naked running around in a field somewhere, starving and freezing your rear off.
But no….you drive around in a car and live in a nice house, fly in aeroplanes and go to Walmart. No one would have learned to make fire or hunt with a spear.
We could all just be complacent and die.
No but he’s as dumber than a rock.
I know I shouldn’t butt in, you guys are probably freinds….. but I don’t believe a poor, helpless blind squirrel should be brought into this.
We’re friends like Javy Baez is a hall of fame player. He used to be knowledgeable about the game until his brain got eaten by Harris derangement syndrome worms. He’s beyond redemption and is getting worse. He’d be lucky to be the proverbial blind squirrel. So my apologies to insulting the sightless one.
Tigers offense is weak… I wonder if Scottie Harris knows that. It was weak two years ago… It was weak last year… It’s weak this year. Maybe next year? All the additions to the cybernetic team and extra coaches don’t seem to be doing much. They still can’t hit.
Did you see last years batting averages? Duh….
Selling rookie hope for like the 10th year in a row.
The KoolAid doesn’t even have sugar in it anymore…..
But I still, somehow, think this is a good them but then again I am old, mentally deficient and near senile
I still LOVE THE GHOUL!
…back in my day….
you could still blownup toy car models on TV with M80s, and NOT GET SUED BY MORONS BECAUSE OF THEIR MORON KIDS AND THEIR LACK OF PARENTING SKILLS!
Kreidler had a good spring which means very little. He has not been very good in the majors so far. I would however prefer to see him and Leonard get Baez’s at bats to see what they have be ause Javy is not part of the future in Detroit.
As for your Hinch rant…very few people agree with you so you are essentially talking to yourself.
Ummmh you don’t get paid to rant and rave until you lose your breath do you? That’s about all you are qualified for fron what I have seen of your posts dude.
Lots of managers get fired, even hall of famers. And lots of managers get better as they move along in their careers, just like players. I was not apologizing for anything he did (or turned a blind eye to), just saying he is a good manager. You must be “hangry” and need a Snickers! Chill out.
The Tigers are 7-4 and at least their pitching is awesome. Life is good. Smile a bit dude and stop being so angry.