Gage Workman homers for Toledo as Wenceel Pérez opens rehab with West Michigan

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Friday, May 16, 2025.

Toledo Mud Hens 6, Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders 3 (box )

Gage Workman was returned to the Tigers after clearing waivers on Thursday, and he immediately made an impact with the Mud Hens on Friday.

The Hens went with another bullpen game in this one, as lefty Dietrich Enns got the start but only for two innings. He surrendered a run in the bottom of the first, but his teammates quickly erased that deficit.

In the top of the second inning, Jahmai Jones was hit by a pitch and Workman, playing shortstop in this one, stepped to the dish and crushed a two-run shot to left center field to make it a 2-1 Hens lead.

In the top of the third, Jake Rogers led off the inning with a double and scored on a Matt Vierling single. The rehab connection was working. A Hao-Yu Lee ground out moved Vierling to second, but Jace Jung struck out. No matter, as Jones smacked a ground ball single through the right side to score Vierling and make it 4-1.

Tyler Owens took over in the third and spun two perfect innings. Brendan White handled two innings in scoreless fashion as well.

In the top of the eighth, the offense got it going again. Jung singled off first baseman Everson Pereira’s glove and scored on a Jones rocket that got to the wall for a triple. Workman singled him in and it was 6-1 Hens.

Ricky Vanasco allowed a run in the eighth, and Matt Seelinger allowed one in the ninth, but he eventually put this one to bed.

Workman: 2-3, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, K

Jones: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B, K

Rogers: 2-4, R, 2B, K

Owens (W, 1-1): 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens take a 3-1 lead into Saturday’s 4:05 p.m. ET matchup.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 5, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box )

The Squirrels fought back to even the series at two games apiece on Friday evening.

Joseph Montalvo’s struggles to adapt to the Double-A level continued in this one. He got his share of whiffs and struck out five, but he walked three and allowed a pair of solo shots and three runs total in 4 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

Max Anderson’s sixth homer gave the SeaWolves a lead in the top of the first, but the offense was very quiet the rest of the night. They only struck out five times, but the batted ball luck just was not in their favor in this one.

Reliever Ryan Boyer, who the Tigers just picked up this week, gave up a pair of runs in the seventh. Andrew Magno and Matt Merrill would solid in their innings of work as usual.

Anderson: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Holton: 2-3, BB

Montalvo (L, 2-2): 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m ET start on Saturday.

West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Fort Wayne TinCaps 4 (box )

The Whitecaps seized a 3-1 series lead with another convincing victory on Friday night. Kenny Serwa and Max Alba combined for a stellar seven innings and Detroit Tigers ’ outfielder Wenceel Pérez made an impact in his first rehab appearance. Max Clark and Josue Briceño both had the night off while Pérez was the designated hitter. The Whitecaps offense didn’t miss a beat.

Pérez doubled with one out in the top of the first and scored on a Jack Penney single for a quick 1-0 lead. Serwa allowed the only run of his outing in the bottom half, and Andrew Jenkins erased it with a solo shot to open the second inning. Pérez singled to lead off the third, but was stranded.

Things were pretty quiet in the middle innings. Alba took over in the fourth and struck out seven in four innings of scoreless work for his best outing of the year. The Whitecaps had a few baserunners, but didn’t cash in again until the seventh.

Peyton Graham drew a leadoff walk to get things started, and Seth Stephenson singled to right field with one out. Abel Bastidas followed with a double that scored both runs, and was thrown out at third trying to stretch his luck. 4-1 ‘Caps.

In the eighth, John Peck led off with a single and Izaac Pacheco doubled him to third. Luke Gold scored them both with his seventh double of the season for a 6-1 lead. They added two more in the top of the ninth when Jack Penney singled in Stephenson after the latter was hit by a pitch and then wild pitched to second. John Peck drove in Penney to make it 8-1.

So by that point this was basically over, but reliever CJ Weins got into some trouble in a long bottom of the ninth. With two runs in for the TinCaps, Weins issued a one-out walk and was replaced by lefty Carlos Lequerica, who promptly walked his first hitter to load the bases, still with just one out. A ground out scored another run, but one more grounder to Peck at shortstop finally ended it.

Jenkins: 3-5, R, RBI, HR, K

Perez: 2-2, R, 2B

Pacheco: 2-4, R, 2B, BB, K

Alba: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 7 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps have won 7 of their last 10, and they’ll look to win the series at 6:35 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 3, Clearwater Threshers 2 (box )

The Flying Tigers got a pair of home runs to power them as they made it four in a row over the Threshers on Friday.

In the first, it was Woody Hadeen lifting his second homer of the season over the right field wall. Cristian Santana launched a majestic solo shot to open the top of the third for a 2-0 Flying Tigers lead.

With a two-run lead, lefty Gabriel Reyes was still trying to find a groove after a late start to his season. Reyes pitched into the third, walking three and striking out just one. A Carson Rucker error on a grounder to start the bottom of the third helped the Threshers to their first run.

Jorger Petri cleaned up the third for Reyes, and then handled the next two innings, striking out five along the way. Ignacio Briceno handled the sixth, but in the seventh he issued a walk and through away a pickoff attempt. He got the second out, but then balked the runner to third and a Garrett Pennington error at first on a chopper allowed the run to score and the Threshers to tie the game.

Moises Rodriguez handled the bottom of the eighth, firing sinkers just shy of triple digits for a pair of weak ground outs and a strikeout. So we headed to the ninth all tied up 2-2.

Franyerber Montilla led off the ninth by lining a single to right, and Jackson Strong reached on an infield single. Carson Rucker lifted a deep fly ball that allowed both runners to tag and advance. Pennington grounded one to second base and the Threshers tried to come home with it but Montilla scored anyway. Ricardo Hurtado and Santana both struck out and so it was on to the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead.

Thomas Bruss was a little wild, but he shut the Threshers down for his third save.

Hadeen: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB

Santana: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K

Reyes: 2.2 IP, R, 0 ER, H, 3 BB, K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers hunt for their fifth straight over the Threshers at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

FCL Blue Jays 8, FCL Tigers 1 (box )

Javier Osorio: 2-3, K

Anibal Salas: 1-3, R

LHP Alastair Tanner (L, 0-1): 3.2 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K