With injuries stacking, Pérez shaping to be viable starting option in OF

LAKELAND, Fla. -- After a rookie season to remember, Wenceel Pérez got on board the “best-shape-of-his-life” theme this offseason by changing his diet, getting leaner and adding muscle. It wasn’t an easy adjustment for the Tigers outfielder, who had to put on weight on his way up the Minor Leagues, but he wanted any edge he could get heading into a Spring Training competition, even if it meant turning his back on some of his favorite dishes from his native Dominican Republic.

“We like to cook and eat a lot of food,” he said, “because we cook well.”

He took the initiative in his fight to hold onto his roster spot as an outfielder in an increasingly competitive camp. When the Tigers were in offseason talks with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, Matt Vierling was potentially in line to become a full-time outfielder and push Pérez to the fringe of the roster.

Now, with Vierling ruled out for Opening Day with a right rotator cuff muscle strain and Parker Meadows dealing with a nerve issue in his upper right arm, Pérez is now a vital cog in the Tigers’ outfield. Saturday marked his third start in center in four days, and while part of that had been planned before injuries, if Vierling and Meadows are both out, he’s the Tigers’ best option in the spot.

It's a somewhat new spot -- he started 21 games in center last season -- but a familiar role for Pérez, who earned his Major League call-up last April when Andy Ibáñez was injured. Pérez never went back to Triple-A Toledo.

“What I've learned about Wenceel is he can handle it all,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday. “The bat quality is really good. His feel for the outfield is better than I think any of us expected. He's continuing to get better and can get a lot better. There may be a day when he goes back into the infield and plays both on the dirt and the grass. But last year doesn't happen without his contribution, and a lot of that was a new position at the highest level that he'd never played at. That's pretty impressive.”

Pérez was a second baseman on his way up the Tigers system until converting to the outfield in 2023 at Double-A Erie, where he saw time in center. He didn’t become a full-time outfielder until last Spring Training in big league camp.

Pérez rated well in right field, including 4 Outs Above Average according to Statcast and 1 Defensive Run Saved according to FanGraphs. He rated at 0 OAA in center. Not surprisingly for a former infielder, his range rates above average, while his arm rates below average.

The biggest task for Pérez in center, though, is taking command of the outfield as a whole and communicating to avoid near collisions like he had in right-center at times last summer.

“I think it was more about communication in the outfield, those slides in between center field and right field,” he said, “that I have to go for it and make the [other outfielder] know that I'm going to go for it and then try to be there.”

Pérez showed off his range during Saturday's 1-0 victory over the Phillies, recording all three outs of starting pitcher Casey Mize’s third and final inning. Pérez covered 97 feet of ground to run down Rodolfo Castro’s 414-foot drive to straightaway center and make a highlight over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track. He then charged into shallow center for catches to retire Aidan Miller and Johan Rojas.

“Baseball’s beautiful that way,” Hinch said. “As soon as you start to play a guy a little bit more, the ball finds him. His jump was really good, which was important.”

Offensively, Pérez’s overall numbers -- .242/.300/.383 with a 93 OPS+ -- were a tale of two swings. Ideally, the switch-hitter would be ready for any matchup. But while Pérez hit right-handed pitching for a respectable .708 OPS last year, he struggled against lefties, batting just .209/.292/.302. It was an odd split for someone who’s a more natural right-handed hitter, but part of it might come from a dearth of at-bats against lefties in his role.

“His left-handed swing, he's got a ton of confidence and good zone control,” Hinch said. “He swings a lot right-handed and just doesn't get near as many reps. And for him to fit on this team, the right-handed side of his offensive profile is going to have to be there.”

Those splits might change if Pérez becomes the primary option in center.

“I'm always hitting more from my left side,” he said, “but sometimes it's just like I have to catch that rhythm to make sure that I'm on time when I face the pitcher.”