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Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez has lower back tightness as outfield injuries pile up
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- Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez has lower back tightness as outfield injuries pile up
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielders Matt Vierling , Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez have been sidelined with injuries in spring training.
The latest victim of the injury bug is Pérez, who has suffered lower back tightness. He hasn't played since Sunday, he isn't playing in Friday's game, and he won't travel for Saturday's game, which means at least a five-game absence.
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"I don't have a lot more to add than what the report says," manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game.
And that report: Pérez — who has dealt with lower back injuries multiple times over the past three years — was shut down from baseball activities for a period of rest earlier this week, but he is expected to return to full baseball activities this weekend.
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Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez takes photos of teammates during picture day of spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Pérez has a history with low back injuries dating back to his minor league career, landing on the injured list and missing games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
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In 2023, Pérez suffered a setback in preparation for spring training and missed all of camp while rehabbing from a back injury he first experienced in mid-August 2022.
It's unclear whether this current injury is related to those previous low back issues.
Pérez is the third notable outfielder to suffer an injury in 2025 spring training, joining Vierling ( right shoulder rotator cuff muscle strain ) and Meadows ( right upper arm nerve issue ).
Of the three, Vierling has been ruled out for Opening Day .
Meadows and Pérez have not been ruled out for the March 27 opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers . Meadows needs to resume baseball activities within the next week to avoid missing the start of the season, but he still isn't throwing or hitting.
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With Vierling sidelined, Pérez appeared guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, possibly as the primary center fielder, but now he joins Vierling and Meadows on the injury report.
The good news: Pérez should return to games soon.
"I feel great," Pérez said last Saturday, one day before his most recent game. "This is going to be a good opportunity. I've been working on center field, taking a lot of reps. I told Parker I will take care of center field until he comes back."
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In the 2024 season, Pérez hit .242 with nine home runs, 32 walks and 92 strikeouts across 112 games. The 25-year-old switch-hitter missed one month of games while on the injured list from Aug. 10 to Sept. 12, after he suffered a left oblique strain. When healthy, Pérez hit .251 with a .709 OPS against right-handed pitchers and .209 with a .594 OPS against lefties.
Pérez made his MLB debut in early April.
The Tigers signed Pérez out of the Dominican Republic in July 2016.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wenceel Perez has lower back tightness, outfield injuries pile up
