Detroit Tigers Sign Veteran Catcher During World Series

The Detroit Tigers re-signed catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor-league contract, adding organizational depth behind the plate as the World Series continues.

Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reported the move in the site’s minor-league transactions log covering Sept. 10 through Oct. 19. Pérez, who turned 36 on Monday, split the 2026 season between the Triple-A affiliates of the Houston Astros and Tigers.

He appeared in 69 games at that level and hit .241/.329/.478 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI. His overall production translated to a 108 wRC+, according to FanGraphs data.

Pérez has not played in a major-league game since 2023, when he appeared in 66 games for the Oakland Athletics. Over a five-year MLB career spanning 278 games, he owns a .218/.265/.327 slash line with 17 home runs and 78 RBI, totaling 1.2 bWAR.

The Venezuela native signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2008. Houston acquired him in a 2012 trade, then dealt him to the Los Angeles Angels after the 2014 season.

Pérez made his MLB debut with the Angels on May 5, 2015, and hit a walk-off home run in that game against the Seattle Mariners. He played 184 games for Los Angeles from 2015 to 2017 before brief stints with the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers in 2018.

After several years in the minors, he returned to the big leagues with Oakland in 2023. Over the past three seasons, he has been with four different organizations without receiving a major-league call-up.

Houston signed him last winter as catching depth. The Astros released him in mid-June. After a short stint in the Mexican League, Pérez joined the Tigers in late July and was assigned to Triple-A Toledo.

He opened his time with the Mud Hens on a hot streak, batting .351 with seven home runs in his first 12 games before an ankle injury in early August limited him the rest of the way.

The Tigers expect Pérez to return to Toledo in 2027. He provides experienced catching insurance should injuries arise higher in the system.

Detroit’s primary catchers entering the offseason are Dillon Dingler, who won a Gold Glove in 2025 after a strong season, and Jake Rogers as the established backup. Organizational depth remains important given the physical demands of the position.

Pérez’s career path reflects the typical trajectory of a glove-first catcher who has bounced between affiliates while posting solid minor-league power numbers in recent years. His 2026 Triple-A line showed improved on-base skills and extra-base production compared with his major-league track record.

The Tigers finished the 2026 regular season with a losing record and placed fourth in the American League Central. Like other clubs, they continue to address roster needs through minor-league agreements during the postseason.

Such signings rarely draw major headlines but help stabilize Triple-A rosters for spring training and the following year. Pérez’s experience calling games and handling pitchers gives the Tigers a known quantity at the position.

He joins a group of veteran depth options the organization has retained or added as free agency begins in earnest after the World Series. The move keeps him in the system where he spent the latter half of 2026.

Pérez’s full professional career dates to 2008, spanning more than 15 seasons across multiple countries and levels. At 36, he continues to fill a specialized role that teams value for continuity behind the plate.