The Tigers have designated 28-year old righty reliever Enrique Gonzalez for assignment. Gonzalez pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Tigers this year and he was 0-1 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. The Tigers have called up 25-year old righty swinging outfielder Casper Wells to replace Gonzalez on the active roster. Wells played in 4 games earlier this year for the Tigers and he was 2 for 9 (.222 avg, .556 OPS) with 2 RBIs. He has also played in 103 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 90 of 387 (.233 avg, .793 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 21 homers, 46 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He should be able to provide some thump off the bench for the Tigers the rest of the way.

The Tigers have lost 27-year old lefty swinging 1B Jeff Larish on waivers to the A’s. Larish played in 3 games for the Tigers this year and he was 2 of 10 (.200 avg, .400 OPS) with 1 RBI. He played in 77 games in his three years with the Tigers and he was 45 of 188 (.239 avg, .711 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. It was all of the whiffing (63) that likely led the Tigers to give up on him.

The Tigers have acquired 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brandon Jones from the Pirates for a player to be named later. Jones has played in 78 games in AA+AAA-ball this year and he is 59 of 265 (.223 avg, .617 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jones was once a very highly thought of prospect with the Braves so maybe a change of scenery will get him back on the right track. Jones has played in 51 games in his major league career and he is 38 of 148 (.257 avg, .678 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Tigers have designated 24-year old righty swinging outfielder Wilkin Ramirez for assignment. Ramirez played in 97 games in AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 84 of 365 (.230 avg, .753 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 19 homers, 56 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He played in 15 games in his career with the Tigers and he was 4 of 11 (.364 avg, 1.203 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. The Tigers needed Ramirez’ roster spot for recently acquired Jhonny Peralta.

UPDATE: (7/31/2010) - The Tigers have traded Ramirez to the Braves for either a player to be named later or cash.

The Tigers have acquired 28-year old righty swinging 3B/SS Jhonny Peralta from the Indians for 19-year old lefty starting pitcher Giovanni Soto. Peralta played in 91 games for the Indians this season and he was 82 of 334 (.246 avg, .698 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 7 homers and 43 RBIs. He has now played in 923 games in his 8 years in the majors and he is 906 of 3,435 (.264 avg, .751 OPS) with 477 runs scored, 103 homers and 456 RBIs. Soto pitched in 16 games (all starts) in A-ball for the Tigers this year and he was 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. In two years in the minors for the Tigers, Soto pitched in 29 games (22 starts) in which he was 10-6 with 1 save, a 2.10 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Peralta will take over as the starting 3B until Brandon Inge returns. He then could slide over to SS when Inge returns giving the Tigers a pretty solid all-around infield. I like this trade for the Tigers as Soto was not one of their top 30 prospects heading into this season.