The Rangers moved a then-struggling Martin Perez from the rotation to the bullpen in early August, but the left-hander has righted the ship and pitched well enough of late that they’ll likely plug him back into the starting staff for the final stretch of the season. “I think that’s fair to say,” manager Bruce Bochy replied when asked by Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today if Perez had pitched his way back into a rotation role.
The decision to move Perez into a relief role was sensible at the time. The veteran southpaw made 20 starts for Texas earlier this year but had limped to a 4.98 ERA in 108 1/3 innings in that role — a far cry from 2022’s stellar 2.89 ERA in 32 starts (196 1/3 innings). The bullpen move has helped Perez get back on track; in 13 relief appearances, he’s logged 28 innings of 2.57 ERA ball with a 19-to-6 K/BB ratio and an enormous 65.9% ground-ball rate. That includes a particularly strong stretch over his past nine appearances, where he’s allowed just two runs in 15 2/3 innings while sporting a 15-to-3 K/BB mark.
Right-hander Jon Gray lasted just 2 1/3 innings yesterday before giving way to Perez, who came on to toss 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and earn his tenth win of the season in the process. Perez tossed 64 pitches, allowed three hits and a walk, and punched out five batters in that nearly spotless performance. It was a much-needed respite for a Rangers bullpen that had been tasked with covering 23 innings in the team’s past six games.
Southpaw Jordan Montgomery is locked in as the Rangers’ top starter now that Max Scherzer’s regular season is likely over due to a strained teres major. Nathan Eovaldi is still building back up from a lengthy IL stint due to a forearm strain. He pitched five innings in his most recent outing — his longest since originally hitting the IL back in July. Dane Dunning and Gray have also been making regular starts, although Gray has hit a wall of late, yielding 13 runs in 13 2/3 frames over his past four starts combined. Rookie left-hander Cody Bradford made a start earlier this week — his seventh of the year but his first since late July — and was tagged for six runs in three innings.
Texas also has veteran starter Andrew Heaney as an option to start down the stretch, but there’s financial motivation for them to keep him in the bullpen role to which he was recently shifted. The second season of Heaney’s two-year, $25MM contract is a player option valued at $13MM, but that would jump to a $20MM value if he pitches 150 innings in 2023. He’s currently at 138 1/3 innings on the year, and keeping him in a relief role will likely keep that player option at the lower of those two values.
Perez’s return to the rotation will come at a pivotal time in the game’s most tightly contested division. The Rangers and Mariners are tied with identical 84-68 records, both sitting just a half game behind the division-leading Astros. Beyond that, Texas and Seattle play seven of their final ten games this season against one another, making every start of critical importance. If Perez indeed makes another start or two and helps push the Rangers into the postseason, he’d be an option to take the ball in a playoff start as well.
A strong finish to the year in a return to a starting role would also bode well for Perez this offseason, when he’ll once again be a free agent. His work out of the ’pen has improved his season line to a 4.49 in 136 1/3 innings. This season’s 15% strikeout rate is down considerably from last year’s 20.6% mark, and it’s a similar story with his ground-ball rate (51.4% in 2022; 45.6% in 2023). That said, if Perez can close out the year on a high note and perhaps show well in the postseason, he’ll have a decent case as a back-of-the-rotation innings eater who should command interest from clubs in need of innings.
Gwynning
I thought it was raining by the end of reading this Perez story but then I realized it was only In Seager We Trust’s tears. =P
Clofreesz
It’s better weather than Slam Diego’s right now…
It could change soon.
Hemlock
Seager is 3 for his last 25.
RIP MVP
gbs42
25 ABs mean very little.
Also, Ohtani is the MVP.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Rotfl
Gwynning
Cheers amigo, glad I could make ya laugh! Good luck on the Postseason, señor.
Jordan09
I love when West coast starts to cry
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Texas isn’t in the West.
Gwynning
Don’t feed the trolls!
>.<
Jordan09
California tears
Pedro Martinez’s Mango Tree
You mean to tell me Martin Perez’s 2022 was an outlier?? Anyone who’s ever seen him pitch for their team is SHOCKED I tell ya, shocked!
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Fans were vicious when I pointed out in the offseason the Rangers set 20 MM on fire by offering him a QA. He lives and dies off GIDPs because he has extremely high WHIP rates and very low K rates and K/BB ratios. On 0-2, he pitches like it’s 3-0 and vice versa. The only explanation for him not being released on a playoff team would be that someone said, “Move him to BP,” and another person interpreted BP as bullpen instead of batting practice and added “the” to that command.
Clofreesz
This rotation needs great help immediately.
Scherzer is hurt, Eovaldi suddenly lost his momentum, Gray just absolutely collapsed, Heaney still has problems with the long ball, and Dunning gives up too many hits…
And adding a guy who gives up a lot of ground balls doesn’t look too promising.
At least Montgomery is the only bright side of this rotation.
Blue Baron
The rotation won’t matter if they lose out to Seattle, and the Mariners have better pitching.
In other news, Luisangel Acuña looks great and is a big part of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies AA playoff success.
fathead0507
.243 avg in 37 games with 2hr yea looks PHENOMENAL..
vtadave
That .061 ISO is also excellent.
Hemlock
Luisangel’s not a slugger though. That’s like quoting Vince Coleman’s HR total or ISO. What’s the point?
Blue Baron
Plus 25 runs and 15 steals, as you conveniently forgot to mention.
Aren’t you happy they traded him and his future value for 8 starts from Scherzer?
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
@Blue Baron You should really learn the facts befire you comment. Scherzer opted into the next year, and it was paid down. Also, Jeff Wilson reported that Scherzer is already throwing. He may be out the rest of the season, but he could be back in the postseason (possible but unlikely), so it’s not all for 8 starts. Consider the 20+ he will make if his arm doesn’t break next year.
pohle
if only they had cole ragans…
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
That deal, like the Clase for Kluber deal, was an obvious steal for Texas at the time… you make the best decision with what you know. You can’t predict the future. Besides, he probably would be a 5 ERA guy if Texas coaches told him what to do. Texas’s pitcher conversion rate is 1 to 3 (a pitcher is worth 3x more on another team than on Texas)
Blue Baron
@In Seagar We Trust: You shouldn’t be such a condescending a$$. I follow baseball just like you and know how the trade went down.
But it’s not a good look for the Rangers if they don’t make the playoffs or lose in the WC round this year with Scherzer to be a year older and a year more brittle next season.
And BTW, how is that big contract they signed with deGrom working out?
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
deGrom is working out better than Scherzer and Verlander for sure
Go Go Power Rangers
@BlueBaron Considering last year, this season is a success. It’s not like they won 100 last year and folded this year. Because that wouldn’t be a good look.
Blue Baron
@In Seager We Trust: Doesn’t look like it.
Blue Baron
@Go Go Power Rangers: And it’s not like the Rangers have EVER won 100 games or EVER won the World Series.
Not a good look. The organization has been trash since 1961!
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Say bye bye to the playoffs. Last season, I would root for the Rangers and root against Perez for being a failed prospect. At some point, I realized it’s easier to just fast forward when he pitches and then get to the real baseball part. However, that means I can’t watch his starts live. I guess the Rangers have decided to tank this season in spite of being in posession of 1st place. They also have Jonathan Hernandez up instead of Antoine Kelly/Matt Bush/Chase Lee/anyone with a pulse. It’s quite bad team management.
Hemlock
The Rangers had a surprising season. I think their start to the season spoiled the fans into thinking they were better than they were. Losing Josh Jung hurt their lineup a lot. Getting him back helps but he can’t pitch for them. Pitching has become, or always was, a weakness. Especially after all of the injuries they’ve had.
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
I did expect at least 85 wins this year and probably just a few more in a good scenario, but even then, it’s like buying a stock at 10 and it going to 1000 and then waiting until it is 11 again to sell. The past shouldn’t impact what you expect going forward. Not adding to the bp much was a huge blunder for an “Ivy League” guy. It’s stupid they focus on his Princeton degree all the time and ignore that he got in as an athlete…
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Rangers are going to have to score 15 runs a game in order to make it to the dance.
CardsFan57
Montgomery has a big payday coming. He’s consistant in any league or division. Boras is very happy about this client.
Go Go Power Rangers
We just have to keep scoring 15 runs a game. Easy…
Manfred’s playing with the balls
Rangers will do anything they can to make sure Heaney doesn’t hit that milestone. Andrew is probably a better option than Perez right now tbh
soxfan1
Does Heaney has a shot if he doesn’t get to the threshold and files a grievance?
In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani
Eh… every team has a right to use better pitchers, even if that ends up costing them less money. Texas would just say he has a high ERA and gives up too many honeruns for a team in the pennant chase. It’s not like what the As did with a trashy Elvis Andrus.