Jhonny Peralta replace.jpg

Jhonny Peralta speaks with media members Wednesday afternoon in the visitors' dugout at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

(AP Photo)

CHICAGO -- It is impossible to know exactly how all of the 30-plus other players in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse really feel about Jhonny Peralta. But outfielder Torii Hunter welcomed him back with open arms.

On Wednesday, Peralta worked out with the Tigers for the first since being suspended Aug. 5 for 50 games due to his involvement with the now-shuttered Biogenesis clinic and its director, Tony Bosch.

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Hunter compared Peralta's situation to a child being sent to his room. Eventually, a parent will let the child out of the room. At that point, all is forgiven.

"It's just like if your mama tells you to finish your food and you don't finish it and the punishment is, because you didn't finish your food, go to your room," Hunter said. "You stay in there until they feel like it's time to come out. Then, when you come out, all is forgiven.

"All is forgiven. This is crazy that we can't forgive. You've got to forgive. If you can't forgive then all of us are guilty because everybody has something they've done that was wrong, so I forgive him."

Pitcher Max Scherzer,

, kept his comments short.

"It's good to see his face in the clubhouse," he said.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was on the field early in the afternoon when Peralta was taking fly balls in left field at U.S. Cellular Field.

"We worked him out," Leyland said. "He hit and took a little crash course in the outfield. He'll work out again when we get home."

It's difficult to judge how a potential transition to the outfield might go for Peralta, who said he has never played outfield at any level.

"I don't know," Leyland said. "I think Dave (Dombrowski) said it best yesterday. It'll be a decision that Dave has to make at some point. And he's probably trying to think of any possible options."

Peralta seemed confident that he could make the transition if necessary.

"I felt really good for the first day taking some fly balls over there," he said. "That's going to be a little harder for me, but it's not too hard right now. Today's the first day that I took fly balls and I felt really good."

Peralta was hitting .305 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in 104 games for the Tigers this season at the time of his suspension. Dombrowski said Tuesday that Peralta, if he is activated, will not be the starting shortstop.

It's possible that he could serve as a pinch hitter and utility player for the Tigers in the postseason, depending on how things go. The Tigers plan to have him take ground balls at shortstop and third base along with taking fly balls in the outfield.

"He's had a tremendous season before he was suspended and he helped us win and stay in first place," Hunter said. "He's family. Everybody makes mistakes. He's going to serve his punishment, serve his time, and you can't hold it over his head."

The decision about whether to activate Peralta will not come for some time. But Peralta said he felt his teammates were glad to see him return to the clubhouse. Hunter certainly agreed.

"Glad to have him back," Hunter said. "People don't understand. You've got to get to know the person. He's a great personality, a great person. He cares about people. I love him. He's awesome. We all make mistakes. He made a mistake."

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