Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez isn’t allowed to fly.
The 26-year-old suffered a left orbital fracture that sent him to the 10-day injured list Friday, June 19, retroactive to Wednesday. The injury occurred after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, when a plyometric band struck him below the left eye.
To replace Pérez, the Tigers called up infielder/outfielder Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo for his MLB debut.
Pérez remains in Houston.
“He is not back in Detroit yet,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday’s opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. “He’s not been cleared to travel until some swelling goes down – the pressure of flying, things like that. He’s getting evaluated again with that face and eye issue.”
For Friday’s game, Cruz is batting ninth and playing right field.
Cruz, 27, is the third generation of his family to play in an MLB game, following grandfather José Cruz and father José Cruz Jr. The Cruz family is the fifth in MLB history to have a grandfather, father and son reach the big leagues, with four of the five having ties to the Tigers franchise. The other families to come through the Tigers: The Boones (grandfather Ray played for the Tigers in the 1950s), the Bells (father Buddy managed the Tigers in the 2000s) and the Colemans (grandfather Joe and father Joe both pitched for the Tigers, in the 1950s and 1970s, respectively).
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers call up Trei Cruz for MLB debut; Wenceel Pérez fractures face
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
