Peterson perfect at plate for Mud Hens

It hasn't taken long for Dustin Peterson to find his groove after returning to the International League.
Detroit's No. 29 prospect continued his hot streak at the plate with a perfect 5-for-5 day in Triple-A Toledo's 7-3 victory over Columbus on Thursday at Fifth Third Field. Peterson notched a double, four singles, two runs scored and one RBI while extending a modest hitting streak to four games. 

Peterson cracked his first Opening Day roster with the Tigers to open up the season after JaCoby Jones sprained the AC joint in his left arm a few days before the start of the year. The 24-year-old outfielder posted a .227/.277/.318 line in 17 games for Detroit before being optioned on April 29 to clear space for Jordy Mercer, who rejoined the team after missing time with a right quad strain. 
Since joining the Mud Hens, Peterson has recorded a hit in each contest. He took it much further Thursday.
The Arizona native started the action in the second inning, sending the first pitch he saw from Asher Wojciechowski to right field for a one-out double. Peterson beat the right-hander again in the fourth with a line-drive single to left, before tagging him for the final time with a ground ball up the middle in the fifth. Peterson singled back to left off R.C. Orlan in the seventh, but his final base knock turned out to be a little more complicated.
Gameday box score
With the bases loaded in the eighth, Peterson turned on a 2-2 pitch from Orlan, shooting it to Ryan Flaherty at the hot corner. Flaherty knocked the ball down and fired to second for the forceout, but the ball was dropped, allowing Daz Cameron to score to extend the Mud Hens' lead to 7-3. The play was initially ruled an error, but the ruling was later changed to an infield single.
It marked Peterson's first career five-hit game. Coming into Thursday's game, he had notched four-hit games three times in his career. Peterson recorded his first four-hit game on June 24, 2014 with Class A Fort Wayne, and collected two more in 2015 for Class A Advanced Carolina on April 29 and Aug. 24. In four contests this season, Peterson is batting .444 with a .944 OPS.

"I'm going to keep working," he said. "It's a grind, but I'm going to working my tail off and keep swinging."
Peterson played all outfield positions in his early stint with the big league club and played a game at first base. He'll get more reps at first in his time with the Mud Hens, with the Tigers hoping to build on his versatility as they try to find a slot for him. 
Selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2013 Draft, Peterson was traded to Atlanta as part of the Justin Upton deal in 2015. He made his Major League debut with the Braves on May 28, 2018, but only had two at-bats before being designated for assignment in September. The Tigers claimed Peterson off waivers and assigned him to Toledo.