Tigers calling up jack-of-all-trades top prospect could be savior for AJ Hinch

On Thursday, Ari Alexander reported the Tigers' plan to call up No. 22 prospect Trei Cruz, and Tigers insider Cody Stavenhagen corroborated. The team has yet to make anything official, but fans already have a sneaking suspicion what the corresponding move will be. Wenceel Pérez suffered a freak accident during his postgame routine on Tuesday, and his status has been unclear since.

Cruz, who will reportedly be joining the team this weekend, will become a third-generation major leaguer, making his family only the fifth with that kind of lineage. His father is Jose Cruz Jr., once the Tigers' hitting coach who played for nine major league teams in his career; and his grandfather is Jose Cruz, an Astros Hall of Famer.

The utility man was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and he was in spring training with the major league team. Although he was relatively quiet at the plate (.250/.618), AJ Hinch previewed that Cruz could end up being the TIgers' "answer for anything" given his defensive versatility.

Still, he was sent back to Triple-A to start the season. He missed a little over a month between late April and May on the IL, but has been solid at the plate since he returned. He's hitting .279 with an .812 OPS, a homer, and seven RBI in June.

Tigers expected to call up No. 22 prospect Trei Cruz as Wenceel Pérez's status remains unclear

Pérez has been struggling all season, and Cruz was a name fans cited frequently when looking at the Tigers' replacement options. Veteran Corey Julks and unranked outfielder Ben Malgeri, who's had a breakout year in Triple-A, have been the hottest names recently, given Cruz's recent stint on the IL, but the decision to stick with a player who won't force any complicated 40-man maneuvering makes sense.

The Tigers absolutely adore their do-it-all players, and Cruz has spent time at all of shortstop, second base, and all three outfield positions this year alone (though primarily shortstop). If he works out, he could supersede Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling, who have garnered a lot of (fair) criticism from fans this year.

Detroit has lost four of their last five and are still stuck near the bottom of the American League standings. Cruz won't fix everything, but he'll at least shore up the defense as a glove-first utility man, and heaven knows the Tigers need reassurances on that front these days.

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