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Wenceel Pérez injury update: Detroit Tigers outfielder out for a month with back injury
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- Wenceel Pérez injury update: Detroit Tigers outfielder out for a month with back injury
Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez has been ruled out for at least one month with lower back inflammation, joining fellow outfielders Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling on the injured list.
The 25-year-old reported a back injury after playing right field Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Grapefruit League finale in spring training , so the Tigers sent him to get three scans: an MRI, a CT scan and a bone scan.
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The results revealed inflammation in his lower back.
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"He is scheduled to get an injection later this week and will be out at least a month," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday evening. "We will share more information about the exact injury and prognosis as we learn more this week."
Jul 4, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez (46) catches a fly ball hit by Minnesota Twins outfielder Manuel Margot (13) in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
The Tigers signed outfielder Manuel Margot to a one-year, $1.3 million contract Sunday morning, but the Margot signing happened before the Pérez injury. Without Pérez, the Tigers do not have a full-time center fielder against right-handed pitchers.
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Opening Day is Thursday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles .
"He hasn't played a lot of center field recently," Harris said of Margot, "but he wasn't an elite center fielder earlier in his career. We think he fits this group because he can strengthen our defense, he can really hit left-handed pitching, and he controls the strike zone."
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The Tigers envisioned Margot as a corner outfielder, with some time in center field sprinkled in.
That was before the Pérez injury.
After all the injuries, Margot should be the primary center fielder against left-handed pitchers, such as Dodgers lefty Blake Snell on Opening Day. However, without Pérez, it's unclear who will take over in center field against right-handed pitchers, which had been Pérez's strength.
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Pérez, a switch-hitter who made his MLB debut last April, hit .251 with a .709 OPS against right-handed pitchers in the 2024 season, as well as .209 with a .594 OPS against lefties.
"We figured he would fit more on the corners than in center," Harris said of Margot, "but this is a moment in time where we're facing adversity earlier in this season than we expected to, so we need to work through our solutions and see what the configuration of our outfield will be."
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This is the second time Pérez has suffered a lower back injury within the past month. The same issue sidelined him for 13 days in spring training , from March 3 to March 15.
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He returned after receiving a cortisone injection .
Even worse, Pérez has dealt with lower back injuries multiple times over the past three years. He previously landed on the injured list and missed games in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Now, Pérez is out again.
And the Tigers are scrambling for solutions in center field.
"We're sorting through all that stuff right now," Harris said before Monday's exhibition game against the Giants in San Francisco . "We have some time, and we have two more full games to evaluate before we actually make that decision.
"One notable piece of news is we brought Ryan Kreidler back from Florida today. He's going to be starting in center field today. As you guys know, Ryan is an elite defender. He makes our defense batter when he's on the field."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wenceel Perez injury update: Detroit Tigers outfielder out for a month
