The outfielder has been out for 10 days with lower back tightness.
The Detroit Tigers had a little good news for the fanbase on Tuesday. Outfielder Wenceel Pérez is set to return from a bout of lower back trouble on Wednesday as the Tigers take on the Tampa Bay Rays . With Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling sidelined with injuries, Pérez is probably their best option to help fill the gap in the interim.
Pérez hoped to return on Monday after taking a week off to rest the back and get himself loosened up again. The Tigers decided against that, putting him through some testing to make sure he was good to go. With their options limited in center field at the moment, it made even more sense than usual to be sure he is good to go before getting Pérez back on the field.
The 25-year-old switch-hitter played mainly in right field for the Tigers in 2024. He did get 179 1⁄3 innings in center field as well, but while he has the speed to play the position well, the limited sample makes it hard to assess his performance there. Pérez was roughly an average outfielder overall last season, with his main issue being miscommunication between himself and Meadows in the right center field gap. He’s not an ideal choice, but the Tigers don’t really want to play Riley Greene in center field much either.
Right-handed hitters Ryan Kreidler and Jahmai Jones have been getting most of the reps in center field since Pérez’s injury. Kriedler is a shortstop by trade, while Jones is an outfielder and probably a little faster runner. That might give him the inside track at the final 40-man roster spot currently available and at least an opportunity to show what he can do. His power and some track record of hitting left-handed pitching reasonably well have made him an interesting player to watch this spring. He hasn’t gotten a chance to prove himself at the major league level, but if he can fill that role acceptably, he might find himself with a longer term gig in Detroit.
Vierling has already been ruled out for Opening Day with a shoulder strain and probably shouldn’t be expected until late April at the earliest. Meadows, who is dealing with a nerve issue in his throwing arm, is a real mystery at this point. They’re basically just waiting for the nerve to wake up, and there doesn’t appear to be any particular treatment options other than rest. The hope was that this would be the mildest form of the issue and resolve within days. That hasn’t been the case, and the specter of a problem that could cost him months of the season is hanging over the Tigers’ position player group.
Adding Gleyber Torres could help the offense quite a bit, but losing Meadows defense for a long period of time would hurt, as would losing his bat and speed on the bases at the top of the order. His struggles in the first half last year still say he’s not quite a proven offensive contributor, but he really appeared to have found a new level in the second half, coming up with big hits in big spots against top competition throughout the Tigers’ stirring stretch drive and postseason run last summer.
There is little else to report on the injury front. Ty Madden is resting and rehabbing a rotator cuff strain and has no real timetable to get back into action. He’s bound for Triple-A Toledo either way, so there’s no rush. RHP Alex Lange and RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long are rehabbing major injuries but continue to throw bullpens as of the last medical update from the team, so while their returns are months away everything seems to be going according to schedule. RHP Tyler Mattison isn’t throwing bullpens yet, but his return from UCL reconstruction is still several months away so there’s no cause for concern there. RHP Alex Cobb was playing catch and rehabbing as of the last report, and hasn’t started throwing bullpens yet. He appears to still be a long way from getting back into action.