In what feels like a fitting end to a sad story, the Tigers on Wednesday released injured pitcher Franklin Perez.
He arrived in 2017 as the centerpiece of Detroit's return in the Justin Verlander trade. He was 19 years old and immediately the top prospect in the organization, a beacon of hope for the future.
Perez has pitched 27 innings since. And now, on the day he was scheduled for right shoulder surgery, there's a chance his time with the Tigers is over.
The club placed him on unconditional release waivers to make room on the 40-man roster for catcher Eric Haase after Grayson Greiner landed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain. Perez could return to the organization on a minor-league deal if he clears waivers, assuming the organization wants to re-sign him.
The summer he was acquired by Detroit, Perez posted a 3.09 ERA for the Astros' Double-A affiliate at the age of 19. He never pitched beyond High-A with the Tigers. Meanwhile, the other two prospects acquired in the Verlander trade, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers, have yet to make an impact in the majors.
Perez' injury woes started in 2018 with a right lat strain, then right shoulder inflammation that ended his season after seven starts. Right shoulder tendinitis limited him to two starts in 2019. COVID-19 wiped out the minor league season in 2020, and Perez began this season on the IL due to a right shoulder capsule defect.
He was throwing his fastball in the high 80s in his two outings this spring, a far cry from the pitcher who used to throw consistently in the mid-90s. He had fallen from No. 1 to No. 15 on MLB Pipeline's list of the Tigers' top prospects.
"Back in spring training we were all looking at him to see where his velocity was and his strength and how the ball was coming out of his hand," A.J. Hinch said Tuesday. "We saw little glimpses of improvement and then a step backward, then improvement and more steps backwards and it just became an endless cycle."
Now the cycle might be over, in almost the same way it began.