Tigers Transfer Wenceel Pérez to 60-Day IL After Waiver Claim
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The Detroit Tigers announced one of the bigger roster moves in a minute; unfortunately, it involved another injury transaction. Outfielder Wenceel Perez, who's been on the injured list since June 19, retroactive to June 17, with a left orbital fracture, has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
Perez wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire for the Tigers in 2026, but he started heating up just as the rest of the offense did at the beginning of June. Ben Malgeri joining the roster means that Detroit doesn't need another position player at this time while they await others coming off the IL.
In 53 games, 161 at-bats, Perez hit .180 with seven home runs and seven RBIs, posting a -0.7 WAR, the worst of his Major League career to this point.
In transferring Perez to the 60-day IL, the Tigers PR team announced on X (formerly Twitter) that they've claimed recently designated for assignment right-hander Yilber Diaz off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 26, and assigned him to Triple-A Toledo with the Mud Hens.
Get to Know Yilber Diaz
Diaz is now on the 40-man roster, meaning that he could be making his debut for Detroit at any point, depending on whether the pitching staff needs some help at the MLB level. In one appearance with Arizona in 2026, Diaz went 0.2 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits without recording a strikeout.
Formerly one of the better pitching prospects for the Diamondbacks, Diaz needs to work on some things before getting another chance at the MLB level. President of Baseball Operations for the Tigers, Scott Harris, was looking for controllable arms, and hopes Diaz will pan out the way that Arizona had hoped he would in Detroit.
In his minor league career, Diaz holds a 5.18 ERA in 400 innings pitched with 509 strikeouts compared to a 1.47 WHIP. In Triple-A in 2026, the newest member of the Tigers organization holds a 4.50 ERA in 26 games, collecting four saves along the way in 32 innings, with a 1.66 WHIP.
The most glaring area that Diaz needs to work through with Detroit is his command. A WHIP that inflated won't work in the big leagues, and at 25-years-old, Diaz needs to find ways to be successful sooner rather than later.
If he can't figure out how to command the baseball better, Diaz might be a one-stop in the organization.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.