Chicago ― Outfielder Wenceel Perez’s stay on the sidelines was short-lived.
Perez was back in the Tigers’ starting lineup Monday, after missing Sunday’s game with a foot injury. He left Saturday’s game after fouling a ball off his right foot. Perez was batting third and playing right field in Monday’s series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field.
Perez has proven to be a key bat against openers, as the White Sox were set to employ in a bullpen game Monday. Being a switch-hitter, he complicates things for the opposing manager, especially now that he’s producing from both sides. He’s been better from the right side (.955 OPS in 2025), but he’s no slouch from the left (.765 OPS, six home runs). Last season, Perez was much better from the left (.709) than the right (.594).
“The work he did in the winter I think was really good with his right-handed swing,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “He went into the winter with some goals to clean up some things with it, with the right-handed swing. And then the opportunity has been there for him, which has been awesome.
“He was forcing decisions in his favor.”
And that, Hinch said, is the biggest key for any switch-hitter ― to force his way into the lineup, regardless if it’s at the top, middle or bottom.
Perez has started games batting third, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth this season, since joining the Tigers in late May after starting the season on the injured list with a back injury.
Since, he’s been a steady presence in a lineup that has dealt with a myriad of injuries to the outfield this season, most recently Matt Vierling (oblique) and Parker Meadows (quad), who have been on the IL multiple times in 2025.
“As a switch-hitter, the hardest thing is time off,” Hinch said of Perez. “He’s a weapon.”
Perez, 25, has nine homers and 25 RBis over 195 at-bats, producing a 0.7 WAR. That matches his WAR from all of 2024.
Kahnle drops down depth chart
If the Tigers’ bullpen is going to round back into shape, it’s probably going to need the early-season version of veteran right-hander Tommy Kahnle, and not this latest version.
Kahnle gave up another run in Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Angels. That means he’s now given up at least one earned run in seven of his last 10 appearances. Before that, he had given up a run in seven of his first 38 appearances since signing a one-year, $7.75-million contract with the Tigers this winter.
Kahnle once was one of Hinch’s go-to relievers in the late innings. He’s dropped down the depth chart fast, on a depth chart that, frankly, isn’t very deep.
The Tigers’ 4.19 bullpen ERA is 12th-worst in baseball, and it’s only that good because it was good early in 2025.
“He’s gotten burned every inning,” Hinch said of Kahnle, who throws his changeup more than 84% of the time. “Seven of his last 10 outings, he’s given up runs. Yesterday (Sunday) felt like a little bit more of a nicked-up run, as opposed to the damage that he’s struggled with (four homers in his last 7.1 innings). Generally speaking, it comes down to location. I mean, he’s no secret to anyone in terms of how he pitches and the weapons that he has.
“We need to get him more regular work and get him to work his struggles out. Because he’s an important cog.”
Kahnle, 36, had a 1.77 ERA through the end of June, and has a 16.76 ERA since.
Around the horn
▶ There’s more movement in the Tigers’ highly-acclaimed, minor-league system.
On Monday, infielder Max Anderson, the No. 10 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline (and the most-popular Tigers prospect named in trade-deadline rumors last month), was promoted to Triple-A Toledo from Double-A Erie. There, he’ll continue to play second base and third base, following the same mix-and-match plan as fellow Mud Hens Hao-Yu Lee (No. 7 prospect) and Jace Jung.
Anderson went up to Toledo after infielder John Peck (No. 17 prospect) was promoted to Erie from High-A West Michigan, along with outfielder Seth Stephenson.
▶ Hinch said Trey Sweeney was the obvious choice to get called back up when Vierling went down to injury, because the Tigers needed an everyday shortstop. With Vierling and Meadows out, Javy Báez is going to get more reps at center field for the foreseeable future.
“Trey’s been a big part of this,” Hinch said of Sweeney, who provided a spark for last year’s playoff push after he was acquired in the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jack Flaherty.
▶ Ex-Tiger Tyler Alexander was expected to be first out of the bullpen for the White Sox on Monday, and that would be his fourth appearance against the Tigers the last two seasons ― for three different teams.
“We’ve kind of been there and done that,” Hinch said with a smile.
▶ Monday’s game started a stretch where the Tigers were set to play 13 of their last 19 games of August against American League Central foes.
Detroit is 19-11 against in-division teams this season, 5-2 against the White Sox.
Tigers at White Sox
First pitch: 7:40 p.m., Tuesday, Rate Field, Chicago
TV/radio: FDSD/97.1
Scouting report
RHP Jack Flaherty (6-11, 4.56), Tigers: It’s been a mixed bag for the veteran, whose ERA is nearly a run higher this year than last year. He seems to take two steps forward and one step back, and that step back was in his last start, when the Twins tagged him for five earned runs in 4.2 innings. He is 2-0 against the White Sox in 2025.
TBD for White Sox: With right-hander Jonathan Cannon optioned to Triple A after another rough start last week, it’s looking like a bullpen game for Chicago in the middle game of the three-game series.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984