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Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez returns from injured list with confidence to switch-hit
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- Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez returns from injured list with confidence to switch-hit
Detroit Tigers rookie outfielder Wenceel Pérez suffered a left oblique strain Aug. 9. Pérez has watched from the sidelines as the Tigers have won 20 of 28 games starting Aug. 11.
Finally, Pérez has returned to the Tigers. To create room, the club optioned infielder Ryan Kreidler to Triple-A Toledo.
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Pérez, 24, was reinstated from the injured list before Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park. He hopes to help the Tigers put the finishing touches on their miraculous postseason push , with 16 games remaining and needing to make up four games on Minnesota due to losing the tiebreaker.
"It's been exciting," Pérez, who completed seven games on his rehab assignment with Toledo, said Thursday before the game. "I wanted to be there with those guys having fun. I'm proud of them. I'm trying to come here and contribute to the team."
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Detroit Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez (46) touches home plate after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024.
Before the injury, Pérez hit .242 with nine home runs, 27 walks and 76 strikeouts in 97 games. As a switch-hitter, he hit .243 with a .686 OPS against right-handed pitchers and .239 with a .672 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
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His left-handed swing was ahead of his right-handed swing in the recovery process, especially at the beginning. But Pérez has been cleared to switch-hit in his return to the Tigers.
"It was kind of weird in the first couple of games," Pérez said. "As soon as I was playing more, I was getting in the rhythm. I had an oblique strain, so it was a little bit scary swinging from my right side. As soon as I got my confidence, I felt much better."
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Pérez isn't going to be an everyday player like he was before the injury.
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"This is a lineup that's tougher to make," manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's nothing against him or anybody else. If you want to manage in your own mind, who do you sit? You have Carp ( Kerry Carpenter ), you have Greeney ( Riley Greene ), you have Parker (Meadows), you have (Matt) Vierling. It's more difficult."
With Pérez returning, Vierling — who plays all three outfield positions — is going to take more reps at third base.
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Pérez primarily plays right field.
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"We're going to try to maximize all of our roster and use guys every day or almost every day," Hinch said. "I generally will use two or three bench guys a day, too. That's a good problem to have."
For the Mud Hens, Pérez hit .091 (2-for-22) with one home run, four walks and nine strikeouts in seven games throughout his rehab assignment. He failed to record a hit in his first 17 at-bats before hitting a home run Tuesday. He picked up his second hit Wednesday in his final rehab game.
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Pérez has dealt with lower back injuries in previous years, but this time, he had an oblique injury.
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"It means everything to me," Pérez said. "I've been through injuries and not able to finish the year. To be able to come and finish this year healthy, it means lot to me. I'll come back with the boys and enjoy it."
Facing left-handed pitchers, the Tigers will be forced to start Trey Sweeney or Zach McKinstry — both left-handed hitters — at shortstop.
"Those guys can handle those at-bats," Hinch said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers roster moves: Wenceel Pérez activated for playoff push
