Tigers place outfielder on IL

The Tigers announced that outfielder Wenceel Perez had been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. Outfielder Akil Baddoo was called up from Triple-A to fill Perez’s spot on the active roster.

An IL stint seemed likely for Perez after he left early last night’s game due to soreness in his left abdominal area. The severity of the oblique strain isn’t yet known, but anything beyond a Grade 1 strain might jeopardize the rest of Perez’s rookie season.

Perez made his Major League debut on April 8, quickly becoming a regular in Detroit’s lineup. Perez has +3 Outs Above Average and +2 Defensive Runs Saved for his 574 innings as a right fielder, though the UZR/150 metric (-0.3) is less impressive. Starting the year in something of a right field timeshare with Kerry Carpenter and Mark Canha, Perez had more or less moved into the everyday role in the wake of Carpenter’s extended stint on the IL and Canha’s increased usage as a first baseman and DH before the Tigers traded him to the Giants.  Perez has also gotten a good chunk of playing time in center field; even his glovework up the middle hasn’t been great.

At the plate, Perez has hit .242/.298/.386 over 378 plate appearances, which translates to a 92 wRC+ in his first exposure to MLB pitching.  The switch-hitter has roughly equal splits from both sides of the plate and hasn’t made much hard contact.

Despite the uninspiring numbers, Perez has been deployed as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter for most of the season, usually taking the top spot when Matt Vierling or Riley Greene hasn’t been the team’s first batter.  Baddoo will step into Perez’s outfield role and might get some leadoff at-bats himself down the stretch as the 55-62 Tigers will prioritize younger talent down the stretch.