Freddy Peralta

Brewers To Activate Freddy Peralta From 60-Day IL This Week

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2022 at 10:28am CDT

The Brewers are planning to activate right-hander Freddy Peralta from the 60-day injured list during the club’s upcoming three-game series in Pittsburgh from August 2-4, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Peralta hasn’t pitched in a big league game since May 22 due to a posterior strain in his throwing shoulder.

Perhaps due to this long layoff, Counsell said the Brewers hadn’t yet determined Peralta’s role when he does return. Peralta returned to the mound for a minor league rehab assignment this week, tossing two innings and 33 pitches in his first outing, and then 52 pitches over 3 1/3 innings in his second outing this past Friday. Since this is still well short of a proper starter’s workload, the Brew Crew could ease Peralta back into action in a relief capacity, or perhaps in a piggyback role or as a bulk pitcher behind an opener.

Peralta has been the most prominent pitching injury faced by Milwaukee this season, yet the club has had the depth and quality to largely withstand Peralta’s extended absence and some other IL trips for starter over the course of the year. Since Adrian Houser is still sidelined with an elbow injury, the Brewers’ rotation isn’t up to full strength just yet, but Peralta’s return will help get the team closer to its ideal starting five.

The right-hander broke out with an All-Star season in 2021, posting a 2.81 ERA over 144 1/3 innings and joining with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff to form a dominant top three atop Milwaukee’s rotation (with Houser, Eric Lauer, and Brett Anderson also contributing mightily). While Peralta had only a 4.42 ERA over his first 38 2/3 innings of 2022, his 3.08 SIERA and Statcast numbers paint a much more favorable view of his early-season performance. Naturally, Peralta may need a couple of appearances to shake off any rust, but the Brewers are certainly hopeful that he can regain his top form down the stretch and into what the club hopes is some October baseball.

Brewers Claim Chi Chi Gonzalez

By Steve Adams | June 14, 2022 at 1:40pm CDT

The Brewers have claimed right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez off waivers from the Twins, per a club announcement. Right-hander Freddy Peralta was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. Minnesota had both selected Gonzalez’s contract for a spot start and subsequently designated him for assignment over the weekend. He’d also been up for a start as a Covid-related replacement when the Twins were in Toronto.

The Twins signed Gonzalez to a minor league pact over the winter and got some decent innings out of him in Triple-A St. Paul, where he posted a 3.44 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate in 36 2/3 innings (five starts, three relief appearances). Gonzalez tallied seven total big league frames with the Twins but was tagged for six runs on the strength of a dozen hits, including two homers.

A former first-round pick of the Rangers back in 2013 (23rd overall), Gonzalez has now seen action in parts of six Major League seasons between Texas, Colorado and Minnesota but has never had much success. He posted a 3.90 ERA in 67 innings as a rookie in 2015, but he did so while walking more hitters (11.4%) than he struck out (10.7%), so that production never felt sustainable. Indeed, in 201 2/3 frames since that rookie showing, he’s pitched to a collective 6.29 ERA with just a 14.2% strikeout rate (albeit against a solid enough 8.4% walk rate).

Though he hasn’t had much in the way of Major League success, Gonzalez clearly showed enough with the Twins to pique the interest of a Milwaukee front office that has done well when it comes to coaxing new levels of performance from pitchers. The 2022 version of Gonzalez, notably, is a bit different than prior iterations, too. He’s entirely scrapped his curveball, going from a five-pitch mix to a more concise four-pitch mix: sinker, four-seamer, changeup, slider. Gonzalez had begun to move away from the sinker in 2019 upon signing with the Rockies, but he’s using it nearly a quarter of the time in 2022 and enjoying standout ground-ball rates both in Triple-A (55.7%) and the big leagues (55.6%) as a result. He’s also back to sitting at 92 mph with the sinker after seeing his average velocity dip to 90.6 mph in 2021.

Gonzalez doesn’t have any minor league options remaining, so the Brewers will try to elevate his game while he’s working at the big league level. There’s no immediate need in the rotation even with injuries to Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, as the Brewers are getting strong work from Corbin Burnes, breakout lefty Eric Lauer, rookie Aaron Ashby and quietly solid righty Adrian Houser. Rookie Jason Alexander has given them a handful of good starts, too, though like a younger Gonzalez, he’s walked more hitters than he’s fanned along the way. It’s possible Gonzalez will get a spot start for the Brewers, but he’ll otherwise likely be ticketed for a long relief role for now.

Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time

By Steve Adams | May 23, 2022 at 7:50pm CDT

An MRI of Freddy Peralta’s sore right shoulder revealed a posterior shoulder strain, and the right-hander is expected to miss “significant” time, Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced to reporters Monday (Twitter link, with video, via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy). The Brewers expect that Peralta will be able to return this season, but a specific timetable isn’t yet clear. Surgery isn’t expected to be necessary, Counsell added. Left-hander Aaron Ashby is expected to step into the Milwaukee rotation in his place, joining Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Eric Lauer and Adrian Houser.

Deep and talented as Milwaukee’s pitching staff is, there’s little denying that Peralta’s loss is a major one for the Brew Crew. The right-hander hasn’t been himself this year, evidenced by a pedestrian 4.42 ERA and a diminished (albeit still excellent) 30.3% strikeout rate through his first 38 2/3 frames. That’s solid production for a fourth or fifth starter but a far cry from Peralta’s dominant 2021 campaign, when he posted a 2.81 ERA and 33.6% strikeout rate through 144 1/3 frames.

The group of Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta looked to be arguably the top rotation trio of any team in the league, but it hasn’t played out that way this year. Burnes has been dominant, following up on his 2021 Cy Young win with a brilliant 2.26 ERA in 51 2/3 innings. But both Peralta and Woodruff have struggled to match last year’s outstanding results. Rather, it’s been Lauer who has stepped things up considerably, while through his first seven turns, the underrated Houser somewhat remarkably has perfectly replicated last year’s 3.22 ERA.

Ashby will now step into that mix and hope to solidify his place in the Milwaukee rotation for the foreseeable future. A former fourth-round pick, Ashby has generally been considered the Brewers’ top pitching prospect for the past few seasons and, so far in 2022, has looked the part. He’s split his time between the rotation and the bullpen, notching a 3.49 ERA with a strong 27.6% strikeout rate and a mammoth 64.8% grounder rate. Ashby’s command has been spotty, as advertised (13.8% walk rate), but he’s minimizing hard contact and getting tons of chases off the plate (35.5%). He’s yet to pitch more than four innings in an outing this season, though, so it’ll be telling just how Ashby fares when working deeper into games and perhaps turning a lineup over for a third time.

Brewers To Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List Due To Shoulder Tightness

By Mark Polishuk | May 22, 2022 at 5:06pm CDT

Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta had to leave today’s game in the fourth inning due to right shoulder tightness. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Andrew Wagner) will be placed on the injured list, and an MRI will reveal more about Peralta’s condition tomorrow.

Something was clearly off with Peralta all game, as he allowed five runs on six hits over his three-plus innings of work in today’s 8-2 Brewers loss to the Nationals. Only two of those runs came in Peralta’s first three frames, but after allowing hits to the first three batters faced in the fourth inning, Peralta left the game after a mound visit from the team trainer.

Peralta also missed about two weeks late last season with inflammation in that same shoulder. That IL visit was pretty much the only blemish in an otherwise terrific year for the righty, as Peralta posted a 2.81 ERA, 33.6% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate over 144 1/3 innings. This earned Peralta his first All-Star appearance, and also cemented his spot in Milwaukee’s rotation after working mostly as a part-time starter or swingman role in his first three Major League seasons.

The Brewers will undoubtedly miss Peralta while he recovers, especially since the club is set to play 15 games over the next 14 days. However, the Brew Crew are one of the few teams with a deep enough rotation to potentially withstand the loss, as Aaron Ashby is on hand to fill Peralta’s spot in the starting five. Counsell confirmed that the team would stay with a five-man rotation, so a spot starter will be required at some point over this busy stretch of the schedule (probably when the Brewers face the Cubs in a doubleheader on May 30).

Injured List Placements: Flores, Anderson, Martin

By Mark Polishuk | September 2, 2021 at 9:32pm CDT

The latest on some notable players heading to the 10-day injured list…

The Giants have placed Wilmer Flores on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, as Mauricio Dubon was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Flores had a 10-day minimum absence due to a strain in his other hamstring in May, and Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle) that the infielder “has been wrestling with hamstring issues for most of the season,” and he will now miss “a couple of weeks” with his latest injury. Flores has hit .249/.319/.438 with 17 home runs over 389 plate appearances this season, and the known lefty-masher has had uncharacteristically even splits against both left-handed and right-handed pitching. San Francisco’s infield depth will be tested yet again, as Flores joins Donovan Solano and Evan Longoria on the IL, and Tommy La Stella is day-to-day with tightness in his side.
The Brewers placed Brett Anderson on the 10-day IL due to a left shoulder contusion. Anderson departed last night’s start after two innings after being hit in the shoulder by a Brandon Crawford line drive, though it appears as though the left-hander didn’t suffer any structural damage. This is Anderson’s third IL visit of the season, after two relatively brief absences due to a right knee contusion and a right hamstring strain. Through 88 1/3 innings this season, Anderson has a 4.18 ERA on the strength of a 59.5% grounder rate and an above-average 6.9% walk rate, despite a lot of blue ink on his Statcast numbers. Milwaukee at least has a ready-made replacement for Anderson, as Freddy Peralta is expected to be activated from the injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals
The Braves placed right-hander Chris Martin on the 10-day IL due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. Southpaw Sean Newcomb was recalled from Triple-A to take Martin’s spot on the active roster. In a season already shortened by a month-long injured list trip due to right shoulder inflammation, Martin has a 4.17 ERA over 36 2/3 innings out of Atlanta’s bullpen. That ERA has been inflated by four runs allowed over his last four appearances, which could be due to this elbow issue. For the season as a whole, however, Martin’s strikeout and hard-hit ball rates are each considerably down from his 2020 statistics.

NL Injury Notes: Syndergaard, Betts, Kelly, Hoerner, Peralta

By Darragh McDonald | August 22, 2021 at 10:36pm CDT

Noah Syndergaard is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week, according to Tim Healey of Newsday Sports. As was previously reported, the Mets are planning on having the hulking righty return as a member of their bullpen, since there’s not enough time remaining in the season for him to be stretched out as a starter. This would be his second rehab assignment of the year, as he attempts to work his way back from undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020. He had previously had a rehab stint in May, before being shut down due to elbow inflammation. It’s now been almost two years since his last big-league appearance, which was September 29th of 2019. The final few weeks of the season will be tremendously important for both Syndergaard and the Mets. The team needs all the help they can get to pull themselves out of their current nosedive. Despite having the division lead in the NL East as recently as August 5th, they are now in third place and seven games behind the Braves. As for Thor, he is a few weeks away from entering free agency for the first time and could help his own case by showing some health and effectiveness before the season ends.

Brewers Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | August 19, 2021 at 3:48pm CDT

The Brewers announced they’ve placed right-hander Freddy Peralta on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Reliever Hoby Milner was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take his active roster spot.

Peralta left last night’s start against the Cardinals after just two innings due to shoulder discomfort. He downplayed the issue postgame, telling reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com) last night that he expected to be able to make his next scheduled start. That obviously won’t be the case, but there’s no indication he’ll require much — if any — time more than the minimal ten days on the shelf.

The Brewers can afford to err on the side of caution. Last night’s win over St. Louis and the Reds’ loss to the Cubs pushed Milwaukee’s lead in the NL Central out to nine and a half games. They’re a very good bet to hang on to a division title, so there’s every reason to play things safe with a pitcher who’ll surely be lined up to start one of their Division Series games if healthy.

Peralta had flashed promise in a swing role between 2018-20, but he’s taken his game to new heights this season. The 25-year-old has finally locked down a permanent spot in the rotation and pitched to a brilliant 2.45 ERA across 121 1/3 frames. That innings total is already the second-highest of any year in his career, trailing only the 141 1/3 frames he logged between Triple-A and the majors in 2018. A brief IL stint can serve to keep his workload in check heading into the season’s final couple months.

Among hurlers with 100+ innings pitched, only Carlos Rodón, teammate Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer have a strikeout rate superior to Peralta’s 34% clip. Between Burnes, Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers figure to enter postseason play with one of the game’s most fearsome playoff rotations.

Pitcher Notes: Gray, Kikuchi, Peralta, Brasier

By Anthony Franco | June 6, 2021 at 2:12pm CDT

Rockies right-hander Jon Gray went on the injured list yesterday with the ominous-sounding diagnosis of elbow soreness/forearm tightness in his throwing arm. Fortunately, an MRI revealed no structural damage, manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post). That’s fantastic news for player and team alike. Gray is scheduled to reach free agency at the end of this season, so his finishing the year healthy is of upmost importance as he looks to market himself around the league. His contractual status, coupled with the Rockies 23-36 record, also makes him one of the game’s most obvious trade candidates in advance of the July 30 deadline.

A few more notes on pitchers around the league:

Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi left last night’s start against the Angels in the fifth inning after being struck on the right knee by a David Fletcher line drive. The team announced he’s been diagnosed with a knee contusion/bone bruise. Kikuchi, who had to be helped off the field, was able to put some weight on his leg after the game manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Corey Brock of the Athletic). Servais suggested he didn’t believe there was any sort of fracture, and Kikuchi’s feeling “better than expected” today (via Brock), although it’s still possible he’ll need an IL stint. Kikuchi has been the Mariners best starter this year, tossing 66 2/3 innings of 3.92 ERA/3.64 SIERA ball.
Brewers righty Freddy Peralta has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. The 25-year-old is among the league’s top fifteen hurlers in ERA (2.25), SIERA (3.11), and strikeout/walk rate differential (26.1 percentage points). Will Sammon of the Athletic looks back at the December 2015 trade that sent Peralta, then a low minors pitching prospect, from the Mariners to the Brewers as part of the return for first baseman Adam Lind. Matt Kleine, now the Brewers vice president of baseball operations, initially spotted Peralta on the Mariners back fields in 2013. Intrigued by his fastball shape and athleticism, Kleine pushed the Milwaukee higher-ups to bring in Peralta via trade, and the opportunity presented itself when the Mariners expressed interest in Lind. Sammon breaks down Peralta’s continued progression and evolution (including the development of a slider and changeup to diversify his once fastball-heavy repertoire) in a piece that’ll be of interest to Brewers fans.
Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier, who has been rehabbing from a left calf strain, was hospitalized after being struck in the head by a comebacker during a simulated game in Fort Myers this week. He has since been released, although Brasier suffered a concussion and an ear laceration, notes Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). That will halt his rehab process for the time being, although it’s certainly a relief he escaped more serious injury after the scary incident.

Eric Lauer To Open Season On Injured List

By Jeff Todd | March 10, 2020 at 12:26pm CDT

Brewers lefty Eric Lauer will open the season on the injured list, manager Craig Counsell told reporters including Jake Rill of MLB.com (via Twitter). He’s dealing with an impingement in his pitching shoulder.

Fortunately, it seems there’s not much worry within the Milwaukee organization. The specifics of Lauer’s potential timeline aren’t yet evident, but there’s no indication he will be sidelined for a significant stretch of the season.

It’s still a shame to see Lauer hit the shelf just now. He had run up nine strikeouts against just one walk and one earned run in his 5 1/3 innings in camp. The recently acquired southpaw has thrown 261 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball to this point in his MLB career.

Having prioritized depth and flexibility in constructing their pitching staff, the Brewers have options on hand. Recently extended hurler Freddy Peralta is a candidate, as is Corbin Burnes. Veterans Jake Faria and Shelby Miller are in camp on non-roster deals, though neither seems likely to command a rotation spot. Trey Supak is the other possibility on the 40-man roster.

Just what will happen when Lauer is ready to return isn’t yet clear, but the Brewers surely aren’t all that concerned. No doubt the southpaw will have ample chances to log innings so long as he’s up to the task. Under Counsell and GM David Stearns, the club has deployed its staff as circumstances warrant, without much regard to formal roles.

Quick Hits: Peralta, Brewers, Mariners, Wallace

By Mark Polishuk | February 29, 2020 at 12:49am CDT

Happy birthday to Diamondbacks right-hander Stefan Crichton, who turns seven years…er, make that 28 years old on this Leap Day. As you might expect, there haven’t been too many big leaguers born on February 29, though the date has produced a pair of very notable figures from baseball history. Pepper Martin (born in 1904) was a four-time All-Star who won two World Series titles as a member of the Cardinals’ legendary Gashouse Gang teams of the 1930’s. While the World Series MVP Award wasn’t instituted until 1955, it’s safe to consider Martin a retroactive winner for his performance in the 1931 Fall Classic, as he posted a 1.330 OPS over 26 plate appearances to lead St. Louis to victory.

Al Rosen (born in 1924) was also a four-time All-Star, as well as the American League’s MVP in 1953. Rosen hit .285/.384/.495 over ten outstanding seasons with the Indians in a career cut short by injuries, though he got to the Show in time to earn a ring with the 1948 Tribe, the last Cleveland team to win a World Series. After his playing career was over, Rosen served as the president/CEO of the Yankees (winning another Series in 1978), then president/general manager of the Astros (1980-85) and Giants (1985-92).

More from around baseball as we hit the last February 29 until 2024…

Freddy Peralta’s representatives “weren’t too happy” with the right-hander’s decision to sign a five-year extension with the Brewers, Peralta told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters. Peralta is guaranteed $15.5MM over the next five seasons, plus as much as $14.5MM more if club options for 2025 and 2026 are both exercised. The contract gives the Brewers a lot of control over a pitcher who only has slightly more than one year of service time to his name, and Peralta said his agents at Rep 1 Baseball “didn’t really want to take it. At the end of the day, I know they wanted to wait a little longer.” Still, Peralta was focused on locking in a life-changing amount of money, calling the contract “something I’ve been working for my whole life….It was a chance to help my family, to help myself, and be in a position where I can play relaxed. My family can be a little more happy and relaxed. It definitely changes my mind going into every season, knowing that I have a little bit of security.”
While Peralta could be leaving a lot of potential money on the table if he blossoms into a reliable pitcher, taking the extension could ultimately prove to be a wise choice considering that Peralta isn’t yet proven at the big league level. These types of early-career extensions involve “a risk tolerance for both sides,” Brewers GM David Stearns told Haudricourt and company, and “in this case, there was a clear desire from the player and a clear desire from the club” to get a deal done. Rather than specify a a specific starting or relieving job for Peralta, Stearns indicated “we think he could potentially have success in both roles, and as the game continues to evolve, as the use of pitching continues to evolve, there are probably going to be a whole bunch of pitchers who are asked to do both. And it wouldn’t shock me if Freddy is one of those guys.“
The Mariners won’t use a set closer this season “unless somebody jumps up and grabs the position,” manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Barring a breakout performance from one of the many save candidates, the M’s will instead rotate between the likes of Yoshihisa Hirano, Carl Edwards Jr., Matt Magill, Dan Altavilla, Sam Tuivailala, and perhaps others in ninth-inning situations.
Special assistant Dave Wallace and the Braves have “mutually agreed to part ways” after three seasons, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. This was Wallace’s second stint in Atlanta’s organization, after working as a minor league pitching coordinator from 2010-13. The 72-year-old Wallace is known for his many years as a pitching coach with five different teams, most recently working with Orioles pitchers from 2014-16.

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