KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Detroit Tigers expected Wenceel Pérez to be their primary center fielder, relying on him for stability while waiting for fellow outfielders Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling to return from their injuries.

That was the plan — until the final game of the Grapefruit League schedule in spring training, when Pérez reported a back injury. As his teammates boarded a plane, he had to stay behind at the Tigers’ facility in Lakeland, Florida.

“It was tough because I was trying to get through it,” said Pérez, who has dealt with the same lower back injury multiple in his professional career, beginning in 2022. “It was just getting worse and worse and worse.”

This time, Pérez was sidelined for 65 days.

He returned Tuesday, May 27.

“I’m so excited to play this game again,” Pérez said.

SATURDAY’S NOTEBOOK: Tigers’ Alex Cobb pitched through ‘a lot of discomfort’ in first rehab start

In his return game, Pérez — starting in center field and batting sixth — hit a solo home run off All-Star right-hander Logan Webb in the second inning of Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park.

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More notably, Pérez hit the homer on his first swing of the 2025 season.

Webb threw him three sinkers in a row. The first two were inside for balls, but the third one stayed in the strike zone, allowing Pérez — a switch-hitter batting from the left side — to turn on it for a solo home run to right field. It was just the fourth homer allowed by Webb this season, spanning 73⅓ innings in 12 starts.

“I was just thinking to be patient,” Pérez said. “I was trying to come down a little bit. I was a little bit excited. And then I tried to get a good pitch, and that’s what I got. It feels great to be back and help the team out right away.”

To get to that moment, Pérez had to play six games during a rehab assignment: two games for High-A West Michigan, two games for Low-A Lakeland and two games in Triple-A Toledo.

He started in West Michigan because the Tigers had the maximum number of players rehabbing in Toledo, transferred to Lakeland due to weather issues in Toledo and completed his rehab with a normal stint in Toledo.

“That was not a vacation,” Pérez said.

Pérez, 25, is hitting .308 (4-for-13) in four games since his return to the Tigers.

His switch-hit ability — the Tigers’ lone switch-hitter — provides flexibility in the batting order, as well as allowing rest days for left-handed hitters Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Zach McKinstry. He performs significantly better as a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitchers, but still provides competitive plate appearances from the right side.

Pérez took over as the Tigers’ primary center fielder upon his return, but only until Meadows returns from the injured list, which seems likely to happen Monday, June 2.

“So proud for the kid,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He put in a ton of work. Injuries are hard on everybody, but think about the last game of spring training, and we’re getting on the plane to go to the exhibition game, and he’s got to report that he’s not feeling great. That’s a crushing blow anytime during the spring, but that’s like the most exciting day of the year at that point.”

HERE’S AN IDEA: Can Wenceel Pérez become super utility player? Here’s what Tigers think

Two months later, Pérez rejoined the Tigers with the same joy he has always had. He laughed with teammates in the clubhouse, smiled in pregame warmups, bounced around in the outfield and showed no fear in the batter’s box.

Pérez also made an immediate impact with his first swing.

“The team is doing great,” Pérez said. “It wasn’t good for me (to be on the injured list), but it made me stronger to come back again and play good again.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This is the full list of drivers participating in the 2025 IndyCar and Indy NXT races at the Detroit Grand Prix through downtown.

The 2025 Detroit Grand Prix is approaching quickly, with drivers from all around the world looking to capture a critical win on the IndyCar calendar.

The big race is on Sunday, June 1, when the NTT IndyCar series will start at 12:30 p.m., broadcasted on Fox. Before that race, the lower-level Indy NXT circuit will hold its race at 10:30 a.m., televised on FS1. Both can be streamed on Fubo (free trial).

This will be the third race since the Grand Prix returned to downtown Detroit in 2023 after years at nearby Belle Isle. The winner of the first revamped downtown race was IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, while his teammate at Chip Ganassi Racing Álex Palou won in 2024.

Palou is looking to continue his dominance of the 2025 IndyCar season, as the Spanish racer has won five of the year’s first six races, including his first Indianapolis 500 win one week ago.

Here is the field for both of Sunday’s races:

Who is racing in the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix?

Here is the full list of all 27 drivers scheduled to race in the IndyCar Grand Prix in Detroit on Sunday, with drivers listed by car number, team and engine:

• #2: Josef Newgarden – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
• #3 Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
• #4 David Malukas – A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Chevrolet)
• #5 Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
• #6 Nolan Siegel – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
• #7 Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet)
• #8 Kyffin Simpson – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
• #9 Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
• #10 Álex Palou – Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
• #12 Will Power – Team Penske (Chevrolet)
• #14 Santino Ferrucci – A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Chevrolet)
• #15 Graham Rahal – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
• #18 Rinus VeeKay – Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
• #20 Alexander Rossi – Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet)
• #21 Christian Rasmussen – Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet)
• #26 Colton Herta – Andretti Global/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
• #27 Kyle Kirkwood – Andretti Global (Honda)
• #28 Marcus Ericsson – Andretti Global (Honda)
• #30 Devlin DeFrancesco – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
• #45 Louis Foster* – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)
• #51 Jacob Abel* – Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
• #60 Felix Rosenqvist – Meyer Shank Racing/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
• #66 Marcus Armstrong – Meyer Shank Racing/Curb-Agajanian (Honda)
• #76 Conor Daly – Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
• #77 Sting Ray Robb – Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet)
• #83 Robert Shwartzman* – PREMA Racing (Chevrolet)
• #90 Callum Ilott – PREMA Racing (Chevrolet)

*Rookie of the year candidate

LEARN MORE: How the Detroit Grand Prix got from Belle Isle to downtown

Who is racing in Indy NXT at Detroit?

Here is the full list of drivers scheduled to compete in the Indy NXT race in Detroit on Sunday, with drivers listed by car number and team:

• #2 Sebastian Murray – Andretti/Cape Motorsport
• #3 Ricardo Escotto – Andretti/Cape Motorsport
• #9 Bryce Aron – Chip Ganassi Racing
• #10 Niels Koolen – Chip Ganassi Racing
• #11 Nolan Allaer – HMD Motorsports
• #14 Josh Pierson – HMD Motorports
• #16 Tommy Smith – HMD Motorsports
• #17 Callum Hedge – Abel Motorsports
• #18 Max Taylor – HMD Motorsports
• #26 Lochie Hughes – Andretti Global
• #27 Salvador De Alba – Andretti Global
• #28 Dennis Hauger – Andretti Global
• #29 James Roe – Andretti Global
• #30 Liam Sceats – HMD Motorsports
• #38 Hailie Deegan – HMD Motorsports
• #39 Jaun Manuel Correa – HMD Motorsports
• #40 Jack William Miller – Abel Motorsports
• #48 Jordan Missig – Abel Motorsports
• #76 Caio Collet – HMD Motorsports
• #99 Myles Rowe – Abel Motorsports

All Indy NXT drivers use AER engines.

How to watch Detroit Grand Prix

Series: NTT IndyCar.

Warmup: Sunday, June 1, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)

Race: Sunday, June 1, 12:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

WHAT TO WATCH: 5 Detroit Grand Prix narratives to watch during 2025 race

All IndyCar practices, qualifications and races for the Detroit Grand Prix can be streamed on Fubo, which hosts Fox Sports Networks including FS1 and FS2, and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Watch the Detroit Grand Prix on Fubo

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

DETROIT (FOX 2) – A special reunion on Friday gave a young woman who suffered a medical emergency the chance to thank the person who saved her life.

The backstory:

Emily Morgan was in a fitness class when suddenly Emily collapsed.

Luckily, Dr. Dema Fawaz, an emergency room physician at Corewell Health, was in the right place at the right time.

“I turned around and saw Emily being slowly lowered to the ground,” said Dr. Fawaz. “I sensed a lot of panic in the room and I immediately identified myself and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m a physician, I can help.’”

Fawaz said she performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, helping save Emily’s life. It was her first time doing CPR outside of work.

Big picture view:

At only 27 years old, Emily survived cardiac arrest, and all she remembers is waking up in the hospital.

“They told me someone in my class had saved me, and I didn’t know who it was. But I immediately recognized her when she came in at the hospital. We’d taken classes together before, and I just didn’t know her name, so it was emotional in the hospital when she came and visited me,” she said.

Meanwhile, the heartfelt reunion was just another reminder of why learning CPR could save a life. Every second counts, and even though Fawaz is a doctor, CPR is not hard to learn, and the more people who know it, the better.

It might just save a life.