KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Wenceel Pérez had been a regular in the Detroit Tigers’ outfield for about three months when he strained his left oblique muscle in early August. The 24-year-old needed a month to rest, recover and rehab, but when he returned from the injured list, everything was different.

Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter – two outfielders ahead of Pérez on the roster – returned from injuries while Pérez was out due to his injury.

For this reason, Pérez is no longer in the starting line-up for every game.

“He’s a guy who was batting in the middle of our batting order, got hurt and when he came back, everything was different on our team and he hasn’t changed,” manager AJ Hinch said after Monday’s game. “He didn’t miss a beat. We brought him back quickly to get him in the game because a switch-hitter, even if he’s on the bench, is going to be very valuable in making decisions during the game.”

Pérez has gone from being an everyday player to a weapon used as a sub in pinch-hit situations to gain matchup advantages, and he hasn’t allowed the change in his role to affect his day-to-day actions.

For him, the team comes first.

“The way we play here, we are together,” Pérez said before Tuesday’s game. “Everyone gets their chance to play and when I get the chance, I will try to do as much as I can. I try to be ready for it and give energy to the team.”

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What happened in the sixth inning of Monday’s 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals showed the value of Pérez. He came in as a pinch hitter to face left-handed reliever Sam Long with runners on the corners and one out while right-handed reliever John Schreiber warmed up in the bullpen.

“I just tried to bring the guy home in third place no matter what,” Pérez said.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro had a decision to make: left-handed or right-handed against switch-hitter Pérez. He has the same splits on both sides of the plate this season, but hits with more power from the left side against right-handed hitters.

The Royals stuck with Long, so Pérez batted from the right side of the plate. He hit a slider from Long on the fifth pitch into left field for a two-run double to tie the game at 6-6. He then scored on a single by Matt Vierling against Schreiber to make it 7-6.

“He threw me a slider on the first pitch,” Pérez said. “He probably thought I couldn’t see it, so he tried to throw it to me again to throw me out. He hit me pretty bad on the first pitch. It looked like a cutter. I thought he was going to throw it to me again.”

In his rookie season in 2024, he has a .240 batting average with nine home runs, 27 walks and 80 strikeouts in 102 games. In addition, he has a .250 batting average (3-for-12) in 13 plate appearances as a pinch hitter, including three of those opportunities in five games since returning from injury.

Pérez didn’t make the opening roster out of spring training, but five months later, he’s proving to be a key player for the Tigers as the team pushes toward the postseason – even if he’s no longer considered a starter.

“It’s special,” Pérez said. “All that matters is winning the game. You don’t think about yourself. You think about the game and getting into the playoffs.”

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers’ Wenceel Pérez has lost his starting spot, but is still valuable