Things seemed to be going swimmingly for Perdomo in his first four spring outings, as he allowed only two hits over four scoreless innings of work.  Unfortunately, Perdomo’s fortunes then turned for the worse, as he was charged with six earned runs over his next three appearances and innings pitched, resulting in an overall 7.71 ERA in seven innings.  Since the Nationals are in full cut-down mode as they decide their Opening Day roster, Perdomo didn’t make much of a case for himself to crack the 26-man.

Perdomo has a 5.12 ERA over 468 career innings, with all but 23 2/3 of those frames coming with the Padres from 2016-20 when he worked as a starter, reliever, and a mix of both roles as a swingman on the San Diego pitching staff.  The groundball specialist missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Perdomo then had a 3.80 ERA over 23 2/3 innings with the Brewers in 2022.  Milwaukee opted to non-tender Perdomo after the season, and he left MLB entirely to pitch in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2023.

Perdomo had an impressive 2.13 ERA over 50 2/3 innings in NPB, which helped pave the way for his return to North American baseball even if he had to settle for a minors deal.  He could continue to look for minor league contracts with another team (or even a reunion with the Nats), or Perdomo might again consider a move to an international league.

Perdomo, 30, has appeared in parts of six big league campaigns. The bulk of that experience came with the Padres, who carried him as a Rule 5 pick in 2016. Perdomo got a decent amount of run as a starter with San Diego early in his career. He moved to the bullpen by 2019 and turned in the best year of his career, working to an even 4.00 ERA through 72 innings.

An elbow injury necessitated Tommy John surgery late in 2020. That marked the end of his time in San Diego, as the Friars released him that offseason. He spent the following year rehabbing before returning to the majors with the Brewers. Perdomo pitched in 14 contests with Milwaukee in 2022, allowing 3.80 earned runs per nine, before signing with NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines last winter.

While Perdomo’s time in Japan was relatively brief, he had a strong season. He made 53 appearances with the Marines and worked to an excellent 2.13 ERA. That was in spite of a modest 19.6% strikeout rate. Perdomo never missed many bats at the MLB level, instead relying on a mid-90s sinker to keep the ball on the ground at a lofty 57.6% clip.

Washington has taken a few fliers on non-roster relievers lately. Luke Farrell, Adonis Medina, Stephen Nogosek, Richard Bleier and Robert Gsellman have also inked minor league pacts within the last 10 days.

Perdomo pitched for the Brewers in 2022, posting a 3.80 ERA (105 ERA+) and 4.80 FIP across 23 2/3 innings in 14 appearances. While his top-level results were slightly above average, he posted a career-low strikeout rate in 2022, which implies there may have been some good luck baked into his ERA when combined with his significantly higher FIP. The Brewers non-tendered him earlier this offseason.

Prior to joining the Brewers during the 2020-21 offseason on a minor league contract, Perdomo had been on the Padres for parts of five seasons. He struggled mightily in a swing role from 2016-2018, posting a 5.40 ERA (75 ERA+) and 4.56 FIP in 355 innings across those three seasons. The most successful season of his big league career came in 2019, when he posted an ERA of 4.00 (105 ERA+) and a FIP of 3.60 across 72 innings of mostly relief work. He struggled again in the shortened 2020 season, however, with ERA and FIP marks both well above 5.00.

At just 29 years old, Perdomo now is set to follow in the footsteps of many other fringe major leaguers and attempt to establish himself in Japan before attempting to secure another state-side contract.

Most of the winter’s top names are off the board, leaving teams to mostly look through lower-cost options as they search for upgrades on the margins of the roster. There are still a number of experienced options available, particularly for teams seeking to round out the bullpen. Using MLBTR’s free agent list, we find 47 pitchers who tossed at least 20 innings out of a team’s bullpen in 2022 and remain unsigned.

We’ll sort the remaining free agent relievers by various metrics of 2022 performance to identify some of the top arms. There are obviously other factors for teams to consider — quality of raw stuff, pre-2022 track record, the player’s injury history, etc. — but a brief snapshot on the top bullpen arms by last year’s performance should provide a decent starting point for players teams might target moving forward. (All figures cited, including league averages, are looking solely at pitchers’ outings as relievers).

ERA (league average — 3.86)

1. Matt Moore (LHP), 1.95
2. Alex Young (LHP), 2.08
3. Matt Wisler (RHP), 2.23
4. Wily Peralta (RHP), 2.72
5. Brad Hand (LHP), 2.80
6. Andrew Chafin (LHP), 2.83
7. David Phelps (RHP), 2.87
8. Ralph Garza Jr. (RHP), 3.34
9. Jackson Stephens (RHP), 3.38
10. Michael Fulmer (RHP), 3.39

Strikeout rate (league average — 23.6%)

1. Daniel Norris (LHP), 30%
2. Darren O’Day (RHP), 27.7%
3. Andrew Chafin, 27.6%
4. Matt Moore, 27.3%
5. Aroldis Chapman (LHP), 26.9%
6. Steve Cishek (RHP), 25.8%
7. Chasen Shreve (LHP), 25.4%
8. Will Smith (LHP), 24.9%
9. David Phelps, 23.9%
10. Noé Ramirez, 23.7%

Strikeout/walk rate differential (league average — 14.5 percentage points)

1. Andrew Chafin, 19.8 points
2. Daniel Norris, 19 points
3. Darren O’Day, 17 points
4. Chasen Shreve, 16.7 points
5. Steve Cishek, 16.4 points
6. Craig Stammen (RHP), 15.7 points
7. Will Smith, 15.3 points
8. Matt Moore, 14.8 points
9. Ross Detwiler (LHP), 14.8 points
10. Luke Weaver (RHP), 13.8 points

Ground-ball rate (league average — 43.5%)

1. Luis Perdomo (RHP), 62.5%
2. Joe Smith (RHP), 57.5%
3. Alex Young, 55.7%
4. Alex Colomé (RHP), 55.6%
5. T.J. McFarland (LHP), 53%
6. Craig Stammen, 52.6%
7. Garrett Richards (RHP), 52.4%
8. Bryan Shaw (RHP), 51.8%
9. Andrew Chafin, 51.3%
10. Jacob Barnes (RHP), 50.7%

FIP (league average — 3.86)

1. Luke Weaver, 2.46
2. Alex Young, 2.65
3. Matt Moore, 2.98
4. Andrew Chafin, 3.06
5. David Phelps, 3.11
6. Garrett Richards, 3.16
7. Jackson Stephens, 3.45
8. Michael Fulmer, 3.57
9. Brad Hand, 3.93
10. Darren O’Day, 4.04

Innings Pitched

1. Matt Moore, 74
2. Caleb Smith (LHP), 69
3. Steve Cishek, 66 1/3
4. Michael Fulmer, 63 2/3
5. David Phelps, 62 2/3
6. Hunter Strickland (RHP), 62 1/3
7. Will Smith, 59
8. Andrew Chafin, 57 1/3
9. Bryan Shaw, 54
10. Jackson Stephens/Hirokazu Sawamura (RHP), 50 2/3 each

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all arb-eligible players last month.

Later Updates

• The Reds have non-tendered righty Daniel Duarte and minor league outfielder Allan Cerda, taking both off the 40-man roster. Neither had been eligible for arbitration, but Cincinnati will send both into free agency without having to place either on waivers. Duarte made three relief appearances this year, his first as a big leaguer. Cerda, 23 next month, has yet to reach the majors. He hit .198/.350/.401 in 257 plate appearances in Double-A. Cincinnati also announced that six players designated for assignment earlier this week — Aristides Aquino, Jared Solomon, Kyle Dowdy, Derek Law, Art Warren and Jeff Hoffman — were all let go. Both Duarte and Cerda have already agreed to re-sign with Cincinnati on minor league deals, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Earlier Moves

• The Braves freed a pair of 40-man roster spots by non-tendering minor league pitchers Brooks Wilson and Alan Rangel. Rangel spent most of this past season in Double-A, while Wilson didn’t pitch in 2022. Atlanta also announced that three players non-tendered earlier this week — Guillermo Heredia, Jackson Stephens and Silvino Bracho — have been let go.
• The Giants have non-tendered relievers Mauricio Llovera and Alex Young and infielder Donovan Walton, clearing three spots on the 40-man roster. Walton was acquired from the Mariners midseason and hit .158/.179/.303 in 24 games with San Francisco. Young made 24 appearances after his contract was purchased from the Guardians. Llovera pitched 17 times after signing a minor league deal last offseason. Additionally San Francisco non-tendered seven players who’d been designated for assignment earlier this week: Drew Strotman, Meibrys Viloria, Colton Welker, Jarlin Garcia, Dom Nunez, Sam Delaplane and Jason Vosler.
• The Pirates non-tendered lefty Manny Banuelos and catcher Tyler Heineman. Both had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
• The Diamondbacks non-tendered righty Reyes Moronta, the team announced. The reliever posted a 4.50 ERA in 17 outings with the Snakes after being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers.
• The Padres announced they’ve cut loose catcher Jorge Alfaro and righty Efrain Contreras. Alfaro had been projected at a $3.6MM salary this season, a hefty amount after a .246/.285/.383 season. Contreras hasn’t pitched in the majors; he had a tough year in High-A and loses his 40-man spot spot as a result.
• The Cubs have non-tendered center fielder Rafael Ortega, as well as minor league pitchers Brailyn Marquez and Alexander Vizcaino. Ortega has seen a decent amount of action the last two years and had a respectable .241/.331/.358 line through 371 plate appearances this past season. Nevertheless, the Cubs opted against a salary in the $1.7MM range for next year. Marquez has been a top pitching prospect but has battled injury issues for the past few years. Vizcaino was part of the Anthony Rizzo trade with the Yankees but didn’t pitch in the minors this year.
• The Nationals non-tendered righty Tommy Romero. He’d been designated for assignment earlier this week. Washington confirmed the previously-reported decisions to part with Luke Voit and Erick Fedde.
• The Brewers cut loose right-handers Trevor Gott, Jandel Gustave and Luis Perdomo. All three were part of Milwaukee’s middle innings mix, with Gustave’s 45 appearances the most among that group. Gott had a 4.15 ERA over 45 2/3 innings after signing a free agent deal last offseason.
• The Rockies non-tendered infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson, the club announced. The 28-year-old had been projected for a $2.1MM salary. A speedster with the ability to play anywhere up the middle, Hampson just hasn’t hit at the big league level. He’s coming off a .211/.287/.307 showing through 226 plate appearances.
• The Mets announced they’ve non-tendered Sean Reid-Foley and confirmed they’re letting go of Dominic Smith, who’s non-tender was previously reported. This year, Reid-Foley made seven MLB appearances, tossing 10 innings of relief.
• The Dodgers have non-tendered infielder Edwin Rios and utilityman Luke Williams, per a club announcement. Los Angeles also confirmed the previously reported non-tender of former MVP Cody Bellinger. Rios has shown some offensive promise in the past and owns a .212/.299/.492 line through 112 big league games. He missed a good chunk of this past season with a hamstring strain. Williams was claimed off waivers from the Marlins recently; the Dodgers could look to bring him back on a minor league deal.

Peralta’s return is excellent news for Milwaukee. The Brewers are just 1.5 games behind Philadelphia for the final wild card spot in the NL and are sure to receive a boost from Peralta, who has pitched effectively this year despite being limited to just 15 starts by injuries. In 70 1/3 innings pitched this year, Peralta has posted a 3.45 ERA and a 3.07 FIP.

In addition to their push to make the playoffs, the Brewers will have to figure out how best to round out their rotation ahead of a possible 3 game Wild Card series. Should the Brewers manage to make the postseason, Peralta’s return adds another potential option for a playoff rotation facing a great deal of uncertainty. The Brewers are sure to front their playoff rotation with reigning NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and fellow righty Brandon Woodruff, but it’s an open question as to who may follow them. Peralta joins Aaron Ashby and Eric Lauer as starters who have recently come off the injured list but are not fully stretched out yet; Ashby threw just 41 pitches in his most recent start, with Lauer throwing 66. Even Adrian Houser, who returned from the injured list in late August, has pitched into the sixth inning only once since his reinstatement. With all the uncertainty surrounding who could start a potential Game 3 of a playoff series for Milwaukee, an effective return start from Peralta would provide a significant boost.

This marks the end of the season for Perdomo, who has pitched 23 2/3 innings in 14 games for the Brewers. While he posted a slightly above average 3.80 ERA this year, his 4.80 FIP and significantly reduced strikeout rate from his years with the Padres indicate his success may have some luck baked into it. The Brewers will have a decision to make with Perdomo this offseason, as they can retain him for 2023 through arbitration.

American League West

Houston Astros:

• Selected contract of RHP Hunter Brown
• Selected contract of C Yainer Diaz
• Corresponding moves: IF Niko Goodrum and RHP Peter Solomon designated for assignment

Los Angeles Angels:

• Selected contract of OF Ryan Aguilar
• Selected contract of RHP Zack Weiss
• Corresponding moves: OF Steven Duggar and INF Jose Rojas designated for assignment

Oakland Athletics

• Selected contract of LHP Ken Waldichuk from Triple-A Las vegas
• Recalled OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas
• Corresponding move: RHP David McKay designated for assignment

Seattle Mariners

• Reinstated LHP Matthew Boyd from 60-day injured list
• Recalled OF Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma
• Corresponding moves: None required

Texas Rangers

• Selected contract of RHP Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Round Rock
• Recalled OF Nick Solak from Triple-A Round Rock
• Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Josh Sborz to 60-day injured list

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

• Recalled OF Adam Haseley from Triple-A Charlotte
• Recalled RHP Matt Foster from Triple-A Charlotte
• Corresponding move: None required

Cleveland Guardians

• Recalled SS Ernie Clement from Triple-A Columbus
• Reinstated RHP Cody Morris from 60-day injured list
• Corresponding move: Designated RHP Anthony Castro for assignment

Detroit Tigers

• Recalled 1B Spencer Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo
• Selected contract of INF Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo
• Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Rony Garcia to 60-day injured list

Kansas City Royals

• Selected contract of RHP Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Omaha
• Recalled OF Nate Eaton from Triple-A Omaha
• Corresponding move: None required

Minnesota Twins

• Added LHP Austin Davis (previously claimed off waivers from Red Sox) to active roster
• Selected contract of OF Billy Hamilton from Triple-A St. Paul
• Corresponding move: Transferred OF Trevor Larnach to 60-day injured list

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

• Selected contract of 1B Jesus Aguilar from Triple-A Norfolk
• Recalled LHP DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk
• Corresponding move: Designated INF Richie Martin for assignment

Boston Red Sox

• Recalled C Connor Wong from Triple-A Worcester
• Selected contract of RHP Eduard Bazardo
• Corresponding moves: None required

New York Yankees

• Recalled SS Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
• Activated INF Marwin Gonzalez from paternity list
• Corresponding moves: None required

Tampa Bay Rays

• Reinstated RHP Matt Wisler from the 15-day injured list
• Recalled INF Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham
• Corresponding moves: None required

Toronto Blue Jays

• Recalled RHP Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Buffalo
• Added OF Bradley Zimmer (claimed off waivers from Phillies this week) to active roster
• Corresponding moves: None required

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Selected contract of IF Wilmer Difo from Triple-A Reno
• Reinstated RHP Keynan Middleton and LHP Kyle Nelson from 15-day injured list
• Corresponding move: Designated RHP Noe Ramirez for assignment

Colorado Rockies

• Recalled INF Alan Trejo from Triple-A Albuquerque
• Recalled RHP Chad Smith from Triple-A Albuquerque
• Corresponding moves: None required

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Reinstated LHP Clayton Kershaw from 15-day injured list
• Recalled 3B Miguel Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City
• Corresponding moves: None required

San Diego Padres

• Recalled INF Matt Beaty from Triple-A El Paso
• Recalled RHP Reiss Knehr from Triple-A El Paso
• Corresponding moves: None required

San Francisco Giants

• Selected contract of recently-acquired OF Lewis Brinson
• Recalled IF David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento
• Corresponding move: Outrighted LHP Jonathan Bermudez to Triple-A Sacramento

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

• Selected contract of RHP Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa
• Recalled INF David Bote from Triple-A Iowa
• Corresponding move: Transferred Wade Miley from 15-day injured list to 60-day injured list

Cincinnati Reds

• Selected contract of 2B/3B Spencer Steer
• Selected contract of RHP Fernando Cruz
• Corresponding moves: Transferred INF Mike Moustakas and RHP Jeff Hoffman from 10-day injured list to 60-day injured list

Milwaukee Brewers

• Recalled RHP Luis Perdomo from Triple-A Nashville
• Recalled OF Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A Nashville
• Corresponding moves: None required

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Recalled RHP Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Indianapolis
• Recalled OF Calvin Mitchell from Triple-A Indianapolis
• Corresponding moves: None required

St. Louis Cardinals

• Selected contract of OF Ben DeLuzio from Triple-A Memphis
• Recalled RHP James Naile from Triple-A Memphis
• Corresponding moves: None required

National League East

Atlanta Braves

• Reinstated IF Orlando Arcia from 10-day injured list
• Added recently-claimed RHP Jesse Chavez to active roster
• Corresponding moves: None required

Miami Marlins*

• To recall OF Bryan De La Cruz
• To recall RHP Jeff Brigham
• Corresponding moves: None required

New York Mets

• Selected contract of INF Deven Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse
• Recalled RHP Adonis Medina from Triple-A Syracuse
• Corresponding move: Designated RHP Connor Grey for assignment

Philadelphia Phillies

• Selected contract of RHP Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
• Recalled C Donny Sands from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
• Corresponding moves: None required

Washington Nationals

• Recalled C Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester
• Recalled RHP Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester
• Corresponding moves: None required

*Marlins moves reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link)

Following his (retroactive) IL placement on June 17, Ashby ended up missing only a minimal amount of time — a sigh of relief, given that Ashby had been sidelined by forearm inflammation. The injury wasn’t considered to be too serious at the time, and Ashby will indeed make a pretty quick return to help a Milwaukee rotation that has been shorthanded for much of the season. Even with Ashby and (earlier this week) Brandon Woodruff returning, Freddy Peralta is still on the 60-day IL until late July, and Adrian Houser was just placed on the 15-day IL yesterday due to a flexor strain.

Ashby will try to pick up the slack by continuing what has been a pretty solid sophomore year in the big leagues.  Beginning the season as a swingman, Ashby’s last five outings were all as a starting pitcher.  The left-hander has a 4.25 ERA over 55 total innings, posting a 62.6% grounder rate and an impressive array of Statcast numbers, apart from a 10.7% walk rate that is well below the league average. Control has been something of an issue for Ashby at both the MLB and minor league levels, but his ability to miss bats and generate grounders makes him yet another intriguing product of the Brewers’ pitching development system.

In other Brewers injury news, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) that Luis Perdomo is “struggling to get going” from an elbow injury that sent him to the IL back in late May. Perdomo underwent a Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2021 season, though Counsell didn’t give any indication that Perdomo’s current issue was also season-threatening, or something that could require another surgical procedure.

Hunter Renfroe will also still miss a bit more time, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy writes that Renfroe has yet to start running on the field following a calf strain that sent him to the injured list over a week ago. Renfroe’s 10-day minimum IL time expires on Sunday, but the Brewers will continue to be cautious in bringing Renfroe back, for fear of exacerbating the injury.  Renfroe had 13 home runs and a .247/.300/.490 slash line over his first 217 plate appearances this season.

Following his huge 48-homer season in 2021, Perez has six homers and an underwhelming .206/.239/.397 slash line over 142 plate appearances to begin the 2022 campaign.  Perez has been making some hard contact but with little to show for it, and the longtime Royals backstop hasn’t been helping his cause with one of the lowest walk rates of any hitter in the league.

More on other players coming and going from the injured list…

• The Brewers placed right-hander Luis Perdomo on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow effusion.  Righty Miguel Sanchez was recalled from Triple-A to take Perdomo’s spot on the active roster.  Milwaukee selected Perdomo’s contract earlier this month and he delivered a 1.74 ERA over 10 1/3 relief innings, but now faces another IL stint.  Since Perdomo missed the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, another elbow problem seems ominous, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters that the injury doesn’t appear to be too serious.
• The Giants reinstated left-hander Jake McGee from the 15-day injured list on Friday, though his actual return to the field was delayed by a clerical error.  McGee was called into yesterday’s game during the eighth inning, except he couldn’t pitch after the Reds told the umpiring crew that McGee wasn’t listed on the Giants’ official pregame lineup card.  As a result, Jose Alvarez was instead brought in to pitch, and Alvarez allowed two runs (one earned) to put the Giants into a deeper hole in an eventual 5-1 loss.  While not the wildest thing to happen to the Reds and Giants on Friday, it was the latest odd twist in what has been a rough season for McGee, who posted a 9.58 ERA in 10 1/3 innings out of San Francisco’s bullpen before back tightness sidelined him on May 11.
• In another Giants move from today, the club reinstated catcher Curt Casali from the seven-day concussion IL and optioned Michael Papierski to Triple-A.  Casali was thankfully able to return in a minimal amount of time after taking a foul tip off his mask during a May 20 game.  This opened the door for Papierski to make his MLB debut, as the catcher appeared in five games while filling in for Casali.

It’s another setback for Hiura, who has run into a series of struggles over the past couple years. Selected ninth overall in the 2017 draft, Hiura was regarded as a bat-first second baseman who could move quickly through the minor leagues. That proved to be the case, as he’d reached the majors by the middle of the 2019 season. The UC-Irvine product was excellent as a rookie, posting a .303/.368/.570 line with 19 home runs over his first 84 MLB games.

That was stellar production that seemed to cement Hiura’s status as the second baseman of the future, but it came with a surprisingly high 30.7% strikeout rate. Swing-and-miss hadn’t really been a concern for the right-handed hitter either in college or during his first season and a half in the minors, but the punchouts began to mount when he first reached Triple-A in 2019. Hiura showed as a rookie he could still be productive while fanning in three of every ten trips to the dish, but those concerns have become even more pronounced since that season.

Hiura played in 59 of the Brew Crew’s 60 games in 2020, but he hit only .212/.297/.410 with a 34.6% strikeout rate. Milwaukee signed Kolten Wong to take the primary second base job in 2021, leaving Hiura to split time between the keystone and first base. He bounced up and down from Nashville a few times while posting a .168/.256/.301 line and going down on strikes in just under 40% of his plate appearances.

In an effort to curb the swing-and-miss issues, Hiura set out to simplify his swing mechanics this past offseason. That hasn’t yet paid off; he has struck out in 20 of his first 42 trips on the season, and his 58.8% rate of contact on swings isn’t too dissimilar from his 2020-21 marks. Hiura hasn’t had a ton of playing time behind Wong and first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who is off to a scorching start to the season. The Brewers will send him back to Nashville — where he had strong results despite a lot of strikeouts last year — for more regular playing time.

Still yet to turn 26, Hiura has a bit of time to figure things out. His service clock could begin to force the issue after this season, though. Hiura entered the year with two years and 30 days of MLB service. Players are credited with a full year for spending 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list, meaning he needs 142 days in the bigs this year to keep his trajectory towards free agency after the 2025 season. There’s also a possibility of Hiura reaching arbitration eligibility as a Super Two qualifier but falling short of the three-year mark depending on how much time he spends in the minors.

Of course, the service time component is only relevant for Milwaukee if Hiura proves worthy of a long-term roster spot. He has one minor league option year remaining. If he spends 20+ days in the minors this season, he’ll exhaust that final option in 2022. That’d mean Milwaukee has to carry Hiura on the active roster out of camp next year if they don’t want to make him available to other teams. Much of how the Brewers proceed will no doubt be determined by whether he gets the strikeouts under control over the next few months.

As for Perdomo, he makes his return to the majors after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. A former Rule 5 pick of the Padres, the righty intermittently flashed upside revolving around a mid-90s sinker that regularly induced huge ground-ball totals. Perdomo never missed many bats and occasionally battled control issues, though, and he posted an ERA of 4.00 or higher in all five of his seasons in San Diego.

After Perdomo went under the knife in October 2020, the Friars released him. Milwaukee signed him to a two-year minor-league contract with an eye towards 2022, and he’s earned his way back with a very nice start in Nashville. The 28-year-old (29 next week) has allowed just three runs in 12 innings with the Sounds. He’s fanned 13 and only walked a pair, and he has racked up grounders at a massive 71% clip early in the year. He’ll add a grounder-oriented, multi-inning relief option for manager Craig Counsell — a role that was filled by José Ureña until the latter was designated for assignment on Monday.

The 27-year-old Perdomo had been cut loose recently by the Padres. He’s expected to miss all of the upcoming campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

It isn’t clear just yet whether the accord has any special provisions (such as an option) for future seasons. If nothing else, Perdomo will be eligible for arbitration once again at season’s end, so the Brewers could decide to add him to their 40-man roster and tender him a contract if his rehab progresses well.

If he can fully recover from his elbow woes, Perdomo will be looking for a chance to prove that he can deliver consistent results at the MLB level. He has a standout, mid-nineties sinker that reliably produces gaudy groundball numbers, but owns only a 5.19 ERA in his 444 1/3 career frames at the game’s highest level.

Perdomo, 27, is a former Rule 5 pickup himself. The Padres gave him 146 2/3 frames of work that Rule 5 season even as he was clobbered for a 5.71 ERA, as the team didn’t want to let go of a power sinker with such strong ground-ball tendencies. Things took a turn for the better in 2017 when Perdomo pitched a career-high 163 2/3 innings with a 4.67 ERA, a 4.40 FIP and a whopping 61.9 percent grounder rate out of the San Diego rotation. The Padres moved Perdomo to the bullpen in 2019 and saw him turn in 72 frames of 4.00 ERA/3.60 FIP ball with a diminished but still-strong 52.5 percent ground-ball rate.

Unfortunately for the organization and for Perdomo himself, he wasn’t able to sustain that output in 2020. The righty went down with a forearm injury in September after 17 1/3 ugly innings, and a month later the Padres announced that Perdomo had undergone Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss the entire 2021 season as a result. It’s possible that the Padres bring Perdomo back on a minor league pact with an eye toward getting some value out of him in 2022, but he’ll have the opportunity to see if other clubs have similar interest.

Perdomo’s career 5.19 ERA isn’t much to look at, but he has a 4.44 FIP, 4.20 xFIP and a 57.3 percent ground-ball rate in 444 1/3 innings as Major Leaguer.

Perdomo is off the Padres’ roster as they prepare for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft, but he actually first joined the team as a Rule 5 selection from the Rockies before the 2015 campaign. Perdomo has since given the 444 1/3 innings of 5.19 ERA/4.44 FIP ball with 6.74 K/9, 3.26 BB/9 and an excellent 57.3 percent groundball rate. Now, if any team takes on the 27-year-old, it could get him for two seasons of arbitration control.

Lawson was the 71st pick in the 2016 draft who ranked as a top 100 prospect that year. He made his Double-A debut in 2019 and pitched to a 5.20 ERA/4.14 FIP with 11.71 K/9 and 4.23 BB/9 in 27 2/3 frames. MLB.com ranks him as the Padres’ 10th-best prospect and gives him a chance to at least turn into a stellar major league reliever.

Thompson is not among the Padres’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com, but the site is high on Marcano, whom it places at No. 8 in the team’s system. The 21-year-old middle infielder “could develop into a serious on-base threat as a bat-first middle infielder,” per MLB.com.

Perdomo spent some time on the injured list in September due to forearm inflammation, though he returned to pitch one more game for San Diego on September 16 before being sent to the team’s alternate training site for most of the remainder of the season, and he didn’t pitch during the Padres’ playoff run.

Acquired via the Rule 5 draft in December 2015, Perdomo has never pitched above the high-A ball level when he made his Major League debut in 2016, though he showed some hints of rotation-level durability and potential during his first two seasons with the Padres.  Unfortunately for Perdomo, shoulder problems set him back in 2018, and he then re-emerged as more or less a full-time reliever in 2019.  He didn’t quite fit the normal relief pitcher model given his knack for generating grounders (57.3% career ground ball rate) rather than strikeouts (career 6.7 K/9), but Perdomo posted a solid 4.00 ERA over 72 frames during the 2019 season.  Between his forearm issue this season and being shuttled back and forth from the alternate training site, however, Perdomo became something of an afterthought for San Diego.

Perdomo will be eligible for arbitration for the second time this winter, and he already looked like a potential non-tender candidate even before his injury.  MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected (depending on how arbiters view 2020 statistics) a salary range of $1.1MM / $1.2MM / $1.0MM for Perdomo through the arb process.  It isn’t out of the question that the Padres could non-tender Perdomo and then re-sign him to a minor league deal as he rehabilitates, or it’s also possible that Perdomo might have to wait until the 2021-22 offseason before landing his next contract.

The 21-year-old Campusano is one of many standout youngsters in the San Diego organization. Thanks in part to a consistently elite farm system, the Padres have finally begun to realize their vast potential this season. The club has stormed to a 23-16 record, good for the No. 1 wild-card spot in the National League, as it seeks to break a 13-year playoff drought.

While the Padres have been a pleasant surprise as a whole, they’ve received little production from their catchers, who rank toward the bottom of the majors in offense. As a result, general manager A.J. Preller has made a few notable changes to the position in recent days. Leading up to Monday’s trade deadline, the Padres shipped out the light-hitting Austin Hedges and acquired both Jason Castro and Austin Nola. So, it’s unclear how much time Campusano will receive behind the plate in 2020 (or at DH, for that matter, as the Padres also landed Mitch Moreland during an aggressive deadline), though the right-handed swinger at least looks capable of serving as a long-term weapon for the team.

A second-round pick of the Padres in 2017, Campusano reached High-A for the first time a season ago and slashed .325/.396/.509 with 15 home runs and nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (57). Since then, the likes of ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (No. 33), FanGraphs (40), Keith Law of The Athletic (42), MLB.com (52) and Baseball America (85) have all ranked Campusano among the game’s 100 best prospects. McDaniel, the most bullish of the bunch, wrote that Campusano “has a plus arm” behind the plate and “plus contact skills” as a hitter, though he could trade some contact for more power as he progresses.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.