Detroit Tigers: Jhonny Peralta worth flier as potential depth piece

Detroit Tigers infielders have enjoyed a solid season so far in 2017, but the team could use some depth. Old friend Jhonny Peralta recently became available, and is a potential fit.

Detroit Tigers fans have seen Nicholas Castellanos get off to a slow start in 2017. The third baseman entered Sunday with a .229 batting average and a .713 OPS.

Some of his low numbers can probably be attributed to a .289 BABIP.

Castellanos is in no way in danger of losing his job given the lack of options behind him, but a turnaround from the infielder would certainly help the Tigers.

Jose Iglesias was in a somewhat similar situation up until recently when he used a 15-game tear (23-for-60, 12 runs scored, eight RBI, seven extra-base hits) to bump his average up to .261.

Dixon Machado could conceivably stepped in for Iglesias given the duo’s similar skillsets. However, it would have left Andrew Romine as the only infielder on the bench.

Like Machado, Romine could step in and start on a consistent basis. Truth be told, the veteran brings more value in a reserve role given his versatility than in a starting role.

So who would be the next man up in any potential scenario where an injury befalls one or more of Castellanos, Iglesias, Machado or Romine?

In terms of infielders capable of playing the left side of the infield, Omar Infante, Brendan Ryan and Michael Almanzar are all available in Triple-A.

Infante and Ryan both have on-base percentages below .300 this year with the Mud Hens, while Almanzar owns a .299 career on-base percentage.

One player who makes sense as a potential addition to the mix to improve Detroit’s infield depth is Jhonny Peralta.