The Detroit Tigers released right-handed pitching prospect Franklin Pérez on Wednesday, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The move comes just a day after it was announced that he would require season-ending shoulder surgery.
Pérez, 23 years old, is best known for being part of the package that Detroit received from the Houston Astros in 2017 in exchange for ace Justin Verlander. At the time, Pérez was viewed as one of the key pieces to the trade. Baseball America ranked him as the Tigers' top prospect the following spring, calling him the deal's "signature acquisition." BA also noted that he "doesn't blow hitters away like a future No. 1," but that he didn't "have all that much left to refine to be a future middle-of-the-rotation starter."
Unfortunately, Pérez's body prevented him from living up to that promise. Various injuries, including shoulder and knee woes, limited him to only 26 regular-season innings (and none since June 2019) for the Tigers organization.
Pérez's release means the Tigers now have just two players left from the Verlander trade: outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers. While both Cameron and Rogers have reached the majors, neither has had much success. Cameron has hit .193/.220/.263 in 59 plate appearances; Rogers, meanwhile, has hit .134/.226/.261 in 135 trips to the dish.
Coincidentally, Pérez's release comes days after the Pittsburgh Pirates designated reliever Michael Feliz for assignment.
The Pirates acquired Feliz as part of the Gerrit Cole trade, another trade with Houston that looks like a misfire. Should Feliz depart Pittsburgh, he would leave Colin Moran as the only player left from the trade still with the Pirates from the Cole deal. Pittsburgh traded Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres over the winter, and allowed outfielder Jason Martin to leave as a minor-league free agent.
