Detroit Tigers Breakout Outfielder Wenceel Pérez Could Lose Roster Spot

The Detroit Tigers are figuring out how to build their roster in 2025 in order to put the team in the best possible position to take the next step from underdog team who got hot at the right time to serious American League contender.

While understandably the focus from fans has been on which free agents the team could sign or trades they could make, Scott Harris was upfront when he said that the most important roster improvement that the team must see will come internally. With a ton of MLB-capable solid players in the organization and platoons at numerous positions, how Harris builds the Opening Day roster this spring will be one of the most fascinating things to monitor this offseason.

One player who was an extremely pleasant surprise as a fourth outfielder who played all three spots in 2024 was rookie Wenceel Pérez. But in a recent mailbag story from Evan Woodberry of Michigan Live, the insider was asked about whether or not the team will be content going into 2025 with Pérez as their main option at fourth outfielder and broke down why it's not a guarantee that he even makes the roster.

"I think the Tigers are thrilled with Perez’s emergence in 2024 but that doesn’t guarantee him an Opening Day roster spot," Woodberry wrote, saying that if Jace Jung plays third base then Matt Vierling would serve as the fourth outfielder. "Alternatively, Vierling could man third, with Pérez in right field and Jung beginning the season in Triple-A....the Tigers are a bit infield-heavy at the moment, which could work in Perez’s favor. So does the fact that he’s the only switch-hitter on the roster. However, if the Tigers acquire a corner outfielder via trade or free agency this winter, Pérez could still be squeezed out of a spot."

In 2024, Pérez appeared in 112 games. With a .242 batting average, a .683 OPS, 9 home runs, and 37 RBIs over 425 plate appearances, Pérez was far from a superstar, but certainly performed beyond admirably for a rookie who was a relatively unheralded prospect serving as a fourth outfielder.

In seven seasons of minor league ball at various levels, Pérez had an average of .272 with an OPS of .743 and just 35 home runs in 580 games, a lower home run rate than the small sample size he showed in the big leagues this past season.

Demonstrating that he is more than capable of contributing at the MLB level, spring training will go a long way towards determining whether or not Pérez makes the Opening Day roster for the Tigers.