DETROIT, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Suspended Detroit Tigers third baseman Jhonny Peralta will rejoin the team for workouts in preparation for a possible return, the team said Tuesday.
Peralta was slapped with a 50-game ban last month as part of a large-scale crackdown by Major League Baseball on the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The same probe netted New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez a 211-game suspension, but he is playing while he appeals.
Peralta's suspension ends Sept. 26, three days before the end of the regular season, and so he could be ready for the post-season should the American League Central-leading Tigers decide to bring him back.
But no such decision has yet been made, the team's statement indicated.
"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," it said.
"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."
Peralta, 31, was hitting .305 with 11 home runs, 29 doubles and 54 RBI over 104 games before the ban.
