Will Jhonny Peralta rejoin the Tigers for the postseason?  (USATSI)
Will Jhonny Peralta rejoin the Tigers for the postseason? (USATSI)

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Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta was of course suspended for 50 games for his role in the Biogenesis scandal. That suspension, which began with the Tigers' 110th game of the season on Aug. 5, will end before the regular season does, which means Peralta will be eligible to rejoin the Tigers' active roster in the very likely event that they make the playoffs. 

Insofar as a possible return for Peralta is concerned, the Tigers on Tuesday released the following statement (source -- Detroit News):

"In accordance with the protocols outlined by Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, Jhonny Peralta will join the club for workouts in Chicago beginning on Wednesday. There has been no decision made regarding Peralta’s return to the active roster. It is an organizational decision to allow Jhonny to work out with the club in order to see if it will be in the best interest of the team to have him return at the end of his suspension."

The 31-year-old Peralta this season is batting a productive .305/.361/.461 (121 OPS+) with 11 homers and 29 doubles in 397 at-bats. Of course, GM Dave Dombrowski wisely added Jose Iglesiasprior to the July 31 non-waiver deadline, and Iglesias, in addition to being much better defensively than Peralta, has put up a solid .746 OPS at the plate since the trade.

With that said, Peralta's reasonably productive bat could make him useful in a utility role (he also has almost 1,800 defensive innings at third base in his career) come October. In other words, I'd be surprised if Peralta isn't a part of the Tigers' ALDS roster, once that time comes.