Tigers giving Wenceel Perez Opening Day nod despite injury concerns feels like a risk

Thanks to a pair of injuries to Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling, the Tigers have been pushed into naming Wenceel Perez as the Opening Day center fielder, but are they jumping the gun here?

It's a bit of a surprise, considering that Perez has been dealing with a back injury himself. It also feels likely that Perez's injury is affecting his performance, as the 25-year-old has been awful at the plate in his limited time this spring.

Over the weekend, we learned that Perez had received a cortisone shot to address lingering pain in his lower back. He did start in center field on Saturday but went 0-3 in the contest. That's been about par for the course for Perez this spring, as he's now slashing .059/.158/.059 over 19 plate appearances.

Perez had a hot start after the Tigers called him up in 2024, but he tailed off as the year went on. Overall, he showed good plate discipline and he did steal nine bases, plus he was an adequate defender in the outfield corners. However, neither the eye test nor the advanced metrics think he belongs in center. And if he's going to have lingering issues with his back, it could cause the Tigers some trouble in the early going.

Tigers forced into starting Wenceel Perez in center field on Opening Day

Part of the problem is that there's really nobody else to play out there. Riley Greene played a bunch of center field back in 2023, but he wasn't very good. He's just not sharp enough to cover the ground, and he's been much better in the corners since then. Additionally, the team has gone on record and told us that they would rather play Greene in the corners to keep him healthy.

Outside of Greene, Kerry Carpenter has been nails at the plate but he's not exactly inspiring as a defender. Akil Baddoo is still dealing with a hamate bone injury, Max Clark is too far away, and there aren't a ton of other options you'd be comfortable with. If Perez is slowed at all by his back injury, the Tigers' outfield defense is going to be a liability.

However, there's still hope that it'll be alright. After all, Perez is still fairly new to the outfield ranks. He came up through the Tigers' system as a second baseman and was shifted to the outfield last winter. He's still got a bunch to learn, and given enough time it's possible that all those extra reps will help turn him into a plus contributor out there.

At the end of the day, the Tigers really just need Meadows to get back to full health. Perez will probably be exposed again as an everyday hitter, and playing him for an extended stretch in center field is a major risk. For now though, this is what we've got.