Season ends early for Lakeland's Perez

What was supposed to be a breakthrough season for right-hander Franklin Perez has become a lost season, MiLB.com has learned.
Detroit's second-ranked prospect -- who missed the first nine weeks of the season because of a right lat strain -- has been shut down for the remainder of the season because of right shoulder capsular inflammation, Tigers vice president of player development Dave Littlefield confirmed Monday.
The No. 52 overall prospect in baseball made only seven starts this season, going 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and Class A Advanced Lakeland.

Littlefield said the Tigers made the move as a precautionary measure to allow Perez to work on stability and strength for next season.
The Venezuela native left his most recent start Thursday after two innings after giving up two runs on four hits at Clearwater.
Just 20 years old, Perez was acquired last Aug. 31 from the Astros along with catcher Jake Rogers and outfielder Daz Cameron in exchange for big league ace Justin Verlander.

In his third pro season in 2017, Perez went 6-3 with a 3.02 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 27 walks in 86 1/3 innings over 19 games (16 starts) between Class A Advanced Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi.
After originally going on the DL in March, he missed just over three months.
A third baseman as an amateur day in his native Venezuela, Perez didn't become a full-time pitcher until he was 15 years old. He did it well enough to earn a $1 million bonus to sign with the Astros in 2014.