Oakland Athletics catcher Carlos Perez became a free agent on Monday when he declined an outright assignment to Triple-A Las Vegas. Perez will now look for a new organization on the free-agent market this winter. The 32-year-old veteran Venezuelan backstop appeared in 66 games in the big leagues for the A's in 2023 for the first time since 2018, when he played in 28 games with the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. In his 66 contests with Oakland this year, Perez slashed .226/.293/.357 with a career-high six home runs, four doubles, 20 RBI and 17 runs scored in 189 plate appearances. In five big-league campaigns, Perez has hit .218 (171-for-786) with 17 homers and 78 RBI in 278 career games.
Oakland Athletics catcher Carlos Perez (thumb), who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left thumb (retroactive to July 2), will have his thumb re-evaluated by a doctor sometime this week. If he's cleared, Perez will then begin strengthening activities. The 32-year-old has been out of action since the Fourth of July, but he was able to avoid surgery and should be able to return to the A's in the second half of the season. In 47 games for the A's this year before his injury, Perez was hitting .232 (29-for-125) with five home runs, four doubles, 17 RBI and 12 runs scored in 140 trips to the plate. With Manny Pina (wrist) also currently on the injured list, the A's are currently running with Shea Langeliers and top prospect Tyler Soderstrom at catcher.
The Oakland Athletics signed free-agent catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league deal on Friday. If Perez finds his way onto the major league roster, he'll earn $650,000. The 30-year-old backstop has played four seasons in the big leagues and hasn't seen any action in the majors since 2018 with the Braves and Rangers, when he slashed .143/.178/.214 with one home run and three RBI in just 70 at-bats over 28 games. In 670 career plate appearances, Perez has hit just .215/.257/.319 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI in 212 games with the Angels, Braves and Rangers. The 30-year-old from Venezuela is strictly catching depth for the A's and can be avoided in all fantasy formats this spring.
