Another Wenceel Pérez replacement is emerging for Tigers with power surge in Triple-A

Wenceel Pérez is slowly but surely proving that his game-winning home run against the Royals on April 15 was a fluke. That was his first hit since being called up to replace Parker Meadows on April 10, and he's picked up just one more hit (a single) since.

The frustrating thing about Pérez is that he's not even striking out that much; he has four strikeouts to two walks. He's making contact, but that contact turns into slow infield tappers that have him out at first.

The Tigers have outfield options in Triple-A that aren't Max Clark. Veteran Corey Julks has been hot since he started the season there, and he hit his fifth home run of the season on Thursday as Pérez went 0-for-3.

18th-round pick Ben Malgeri is also making a case for himself. He's never been a top prospect since being taken by the Tigers in 2021, and he's had a relatively slow rise through the minors. This is his first season in Toledo, but he's been excellent in his first 20 games, hitting .297 with a .993 OPS and four homers over two games.

Tigers minor leaguer Ben Malgeri's hot start in Triple-A should have Detroit considering a shakeup

Malgeri has never been much of a power hitter ... until now. He put up some pretty good numbers in Double-A last year to prompt a promotion to Toledo, but he's already on pace to top his single-season personal best in home runs (16) recorded across High- and Double-A.

If the Tigers are thinking about replacing Pérez at all, they'd probably turn to the guy with the major league experience first, but this is an encouraging sign for their outfield depth, which was slowly dismantled last year as they shed longtime Quad-A staples Akil Baddoo, Ryan Kreidler, and Ryan Vilade.

To be fair, those guys also tended to look pretty good in Triple-A, which then hoodwinked the Tigers into bringing them up in the hopes they would contribute (as we all know, they didn't). Still, it's reassuring that there are options who at least look like they might be able to hold their own against major league pitching.

Pérez clearly has a pretty long leash, and the Tigers are finding ways to win without his contributions, but it's hard to believe that they'll let this go on in perpetuity, or even as long as it takes for them to decide that Clark is finally ready for the big time.

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