Detroit Tigers place rookie Wenceel Pérez on injured list, could miss rest of season

Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez could miss the remainder of his rookie season after suffering a left oblique strain in Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants.

The Tigers haven't ruled him out, but manager A.J. Hinch didn't guarantee Pérez would return before the Sept. 29 season finale.

"I'm just bummed for him," Hinch told reporters before Saturday's game in San Francisco. "I don't know how long it's going to be or what we can salvage from the season. We'll do our best to get him healthy and hopefully get him back in some games before the end of the year."

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Pérez, a switch-hitter, landed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain, but he is expected to miss a lot more than 10 days. To replace him, the Tigers recalled outfielder Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo.

After Saturday, the Tigers have 44 games remaining in the 2024 season.

The left oblique strain appeared to happen when Pérez swung at a 93 mph fastball from Giants left-hander Robbie Ray in the fourth inning of Friday's 3-2 loss at Oracle Park. It was his only swing in two plate appearances, spanning 11 pitches. After swinging, Pérez touched his left side with his left hand to indicate an injury. He didn't take the field for defense in the bottom of the fourth.

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Pérez has a .242 batting average with nine home runs, 27 walks and 76 strikeouts across 97 games in the 2024 season, posting a .684 OPS. He is hitting .143 with four walks and 13 strikeouts in his last 15 games.

When Kerry Carpenter, a fellow left-handed hitting outfielder, returns from the injured list, which could happen as soon as this week as long as he completes his rehab assignment without a setback, Baddoo seems like the obvious candidate to be optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

Baddoo, hitting .117 in 26 games, can be optioned only one more time in 2024 — a player can be optioned just five times in a single season — before being exposed to waivers, meaning the Tigers won't risk losing him this time around, but they will next time.

Carpenter hasn't played for the Tigers since May 26 due to a lumbar spine stress fracture.

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Riley Greene is ready to run

• Outfielder Riley Greene (right hamstring strain) is scheduled to run the bases Sunday in San Francisco, which is the final step before he begins a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. After Sunday's session, Greene could be required to run the bases again Monday in Detroit. Either way, the 23-year-old seems lined up to play Tuesday for the Mud Hens as the designated hitter. Greene, who has a history of lower-body injuries, hasn't played for the Tigers since July 25.

• Right-hander Casey Mize (left hamstring strain) is scheduled to make the second start of his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Toledo. The 27-year-old covered 2⅓ innings with 35 pitches in Thursday's start with the Mud Hens, the first of possibly four rehab outings. In that game, Mize worked around three hits and one walk with two strikeouts. He generated six whiffs on 15 swings with three fastballs, two splitters and one sinker. His fastball averaged 95.3 mph, maxing out at 98.2 mph. Mize hasn't pitched for the Tigers since June 30 and isn't eligible to return from the injured list until Aug. 30.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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