Detroit Tigers place Andy Ibáñez on injured list, promote Wenceel Pérez for MLB debut

PITTSBURGH — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch didn't know anything bad happened.

Nobody did.

But infielder Andy Ibáñez, on the final play of Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics, suffered a left hamstring strain. He grounded out to third base for the final out of the game, exited the field with his teammates and reported the discomfort in his left hamstring to the athletic trainers.

"Even looking back at the video, he didn't show anything," said Hinch, who learned about Ibáñez's status from head athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks, "but when he got back in, he reported it."

The Tigers evaluated Ibáñez after Sunday's game, and although he didn't travel to Pittsburgh with his teammates that night, there was still an opportunity for him to play in the two-game series against the Pirates at PNC Park, so the Tigers evaluated Ibáñez again Monday morning.

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It's a mild strain.

"We had a flight on hold to bring him here if things were better," Hinch said, "but they weren't."

To replace Ibáñez, the Tigers promoted outfielder Wenceel Pérez from Triple-A Toledo for his MLB debut. The 24-year-old wasn't in Monday's starting lineup against the Pirates, but he is available off the bench.

He can play all three outfield positions.

Pérez, a switch-hitter, posted a .212 batting average with five extra-base hits, including one home run, in eight games with the Mud Hens this season, recording four walks and six strikeouts. He stole four bases in four attempts.

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"He's performed through the minor leagues," Hinch said. "His ability to run the bases, his bat-to-ball skills. Being a switch-hitter, I love having on the bench. ... It'll be primarily a bench role for him, which will be new, but he offers quite an offensive package to utilize during games."

The Tigers signed Pérez in July 2016 as an international prospect.

Pérez immediately becomes the Tigers' most aggressive baserunner. He stole 26 bases in 33 attempts across 116 games last season in Low-A Lakeland (five games), Double-A Erie (76 games) and Triple-A Toledo (35 games), hitting .274 with nine home runs, 63 walks and 86 strikeouts.

As a switch-hitter, Pérez is better from the left side of the plate against right-handed pitchers.

He hit all nine of his home runs — as well as 20 of his 25 doubles — as a left-handed hitter last season, also batting .301 with a .874 OPS against right-handers compared to .197 with a .514 OPS against left-handers. In 2022, he hit .287 with a .914 OPS against righties and .333 with a .868 OPS against lefties.

"You want guys that are good on both sides," Hinch said. "Wenceel has hit from both of the plate his whole career, and he's always been a good offensive player. We'll take the best players we can regardless of handedness, but he does provide a little bit of a different element."

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Outfielder Matt Vierling will get more opportunities to play third base, likely in the later innings as a result of in-game moves. That's because Ibáñez primarily played in the infield and Pérez, a former infielder, is more comfortable in the outfield, though he's still a below-average defender in the grass.

Vierling won't miss a beat at third base.

He is prepared.

"He'll take a few more balls at third base," Hinch said of Vierling. "Gio (Urshela) will take a few more balls at second base. ... It's one of the reasons we continually do our work behind the scenes, just in case things like this happen. Matty has been taking ground balls at third. Gio can probably play any position the day that I tell him, so he'll be very comfortable."

The Tigers were limited in their options to replace Ibáñez from the 40-man roster because Ryan Kreidler and Eddys Leonard, two right-handed hitting infielders, suffered injuries while playing for Triple-A Toledo. Kreidler injured his hand on a hit by pitch; Leonard injured his left side on a foul-ball swing.

It's unclear if the injuries will force them to miss significant time.

"We're planning on releasing a minor-league medical update tomorrow," Hinch said.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers place Andy Ibáñez on IL; Wenceel Pérez primed for debut