The Purple 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 your entire common season on the injured listing within the minors.
A veteran of 10 massive league seasons, Perez is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who has routinely been thought-about the most effective defensive catchers within the sport all through his profession. Sadly, the 35-year-old has struggled badly with harm woes in recent times after being an everyday presence within the Cleveland lineup throughout the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The veteran was restricted to simply 44 video games in 2021 by a fractured finger and a shoulder pressure, a actuality that allowed Austin Hedges to leap him on Cleveland’s depth chart.
Perez turned a free agent for the primary time after the 2021 season, however his harm woes have solely gotten worse since then. He discovered an enormous league take care of 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 problem that has plagued Perez this 12 months, the 35-year-old has stepped as much as the plate in official video games simply 86 occasions for the reason that finish of the 2021 season.
For a veteran catcher in his mid-30s, 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 strong defensive catcher when wholesome. However, he’s been nothing in need of 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 massive league degree since then.
Even so, it will hardly be a shock for a catching-needy membership to check out 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 offers further, non-roster depth with massive league expertise on the Triple-A degree.
