The Detroit Tigers are losing one of their most important players just days after getting him back.
As first reported by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the team is placing Matt Vierling on the injured list, once again, with inflammation in his right shoulder.
In a corresponding move, fellow outfielder Wenceel Perez has been activated for the first time this season and will start in center on Tuesday evening.
Stavenhagen also revealed that Javier Baez would be playing third base on Tuesday in order to put Perez in center.
Vierling was just activated this past Friday after missing the early part of the season due to a rotator cuff issue. He collected two hits in 11 at-bats since that point.
After excelling in his rehab assignment, the belief seemed to be the utility man was ready for the rigors of Major League Baseball once again, though it seems clear his shoulder did not respond the way team doctors wanted it to.
How long this means Vierling is going to miss now looks uncertain, though it seems safe to say it's at least going to be a few more weeks before he's a fixture in the lineup again.
Last season, Vierling had the best year of his career, slashing .257/.312/.423 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI, posting an impressive bWAR of 3.0 while playing any position he was asked to for the Tigers.
Perez, meanwhile, appeared in 112 games and slashed .242/.300/.383 with nine home runs and 37 RBI.
Detroit will have to hope Perez is fully healthy and ready to fill in for Vierling until he's able to return.
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