Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Hall promoted to Triple-A

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: A detail of a Detroit Tigers hat and glove are seen during warm ups against the New York Yankees during Game Five of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 6, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: A detail of a Detroit Tigers hat and glove are seen during warm ups against the New York Yankees during Game Five of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 6, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
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LAKELAND, FL – MARCH 01: A view from the Tiger spring training home Joker Marchant Stadium before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 1, 2016 in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Lakeland Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers turned in a 3-4 week, brining their overall record to 48-41. Lakeland sits in second place in the Florida State League North’s second half standings.

Perez Debuts

After making three rehab starts for GCL Tigers East, the Detroit Tigers activated Franklin Perez from the disabled list this week and sent him to Lakeland. Perez pitched for Lakeland on Tuesday, working three innings. The Tigers top prospect gave up two runs, three hits, two walks, and had one strikeout.

The righty sports a 4.91 ERA through four starts across the two levels in 2018. Many expect him to join Double-A Erie at some point in the near future, but he may be kept in Lakeland a little longer to stretch him out a little more. Perez has yet to go longer than three innings in any of his four starts since his return.

Soto So Good

Gregory Soto turned in an excellent outing on Sunday, his lone appearance of the week. The southpaw yielded just a pair of hits and one run in six innings. He added nine strikeouts, while issuing a pair of free passes.

Despite the strong outing, Soto remains mired in a mediocre season for Lakeland. The best left-handed pitching prospect in a system full of righties, Soto sports a 4.43 ERA through 16 starts.

Soto boasts a strikeout rate of 9.7/9, but walks always seem to get in the way of him posting better numbers. In 2018, his walk rate rests at 6.9/9, which would be his highest since 2015, his first season stateside.

Even in his better seasons, Soto struggled with free passes. Last year, Soto claimed both Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star nods in the Midwest League. In 18 starts for West Michigan, he posted a 2.25 ERA and nearly 11 K/9 before a promotion to Lakeland. Despite those strong numbers, he still issued 5.1 walks per nine. Soto remains the best lefty in the system, but needs to work on limiting walks as he continues to climb the organizational ladder.

Paredes Leads Attack

The Flying Tigers posted one of their best offensive games of the season Wednesday, scoring 15 runs on 15 hits. Lakeland’s barrage was led by Isaac Paredes, who collected three hits, scored three times, and drove in three.

The 19-year old infielder is raking in July. Through 10 games this month, Paredes owns a .378/.452/.730 slash line. For the season, he leads Lakeland in homers and RBIs, and ranks in the top-five in the Florida State League in doubles, extra-base hits, and runs.

Schedule