The Pink Sox have launched catcher Roberto Perez, as famous by Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com. Perez signed a minor league deal with the membership again in December however has spent the whole common season on the injured record within the minors.
A veteran of ten huge league seasons, Perez is a two-time Gold Glove award winner who has routinely been thought of among the best defensive catchers within the sport all through his profession. Sadly, the 35-year-old has struggled badly with damage woes in recent times after being an everyday presence within the Cleveland lineup through the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The veteran was restricted to only 44 video games in 2021 by a fractured finger and a shoulder pressure, a actuality that allowed Austin Hedges to leap the veteran on Cleveland’s depth chart.
Perez grew to become a free agent for the primary time after the 2021 season, however his damage woes have solely gotten worse since then. He discovered a giant league cope with the Pirates headed into 2022 however finally appeared in simply 21 video games earlier than hamstring issues ended his season in early Might. The next winter Perez latched on with the Giants on a non-roster pact and earned a spot on the membership’s workers with a robust Spring Coaching. Sadly, the veteran made it simply 5 video games into the common season earlier than present process season-ending surgical procedure to restore the rotator cuff in his proper shoulder. Between these accidents and now the undisclosed difficulty that has plagued Perez this yr, the 35-year-old has stepped as much as the plate in official video games simply 86 instances for the reason that finish of the 2021 season.
For a veteran catcher in his mid-thirties, the prolonged string of accidents is a regarding one, though it’s price noting that his restricted common season and spring coaching appearances have typically proven him to nonetheless be a stable defensive catcher when wholesome. Alternatively, he’s been nothing wanting atrocious on the plate following a roughly league common 2019 season, slashing simply .169/.268/.288 with a wRC+ of 58 in 357 plate appearances on the huge league stage since then.
Even so, it could hardly be a shock for a catching-needy membership to try Perez on a minor league deal if he can get wholesome sufficient to contribute within the second half, given the significance of catching depth and the veteran’s sterling defensive popularity. As for Boston, the membership stays deep in catching depth behind their major tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire even after parting methods with Perez; Tyler Heineman is on the 40-man roster as an optionable depth piece, whereas Mark Kolozsvary supplies extra, non-roster depth with huge league expertise on the Triple-A stage.
