Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez put together an impressive outing in Thursday's no-decision versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Perez went 7 1/3 innings and allowed six hits, one run (zero earned), one walk and struck out two in his second start since returning from a groin injury. For the season, the veteran carries a 4.74 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP and 6.82 K/9. At this point in his career, managers know what to expect from Perez and he makes for a better real-life pitcher than fantasy member. Perez will look to carry the momentum from Thursday's start into his next contest versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, a contest that should keep him on the waiver wire.
Martin Perez Reinstated And Starting Against Braves
The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated left-hander Martin Perez (groin) from the 15-day injured list on Friday and optioned left-hander Justin Bruihl to Triple-A Indianapolis following Wednesday's game in a corresponding move. Perez will immediately jump back into Pittsburgh's starting rotation and toe the rubber on Friday in Atlanta against the Braves. Even though the Braves are without stud outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) for the rest of the year, they still aren't the greatest matchup, especially for a soft-tossing lefty who has been out since May 28 with a left-groin strain. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw only made one minor-league rehab start, too, so he could be limited from a pitch-count perspective in his return on Friday. Perez is an easy fade for fantasy streamers on Friday's slate.
Martin Perez To Start Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Martin Perez (groin) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis and make a start on Saturday. Perez is getting close to a return to the big-league starting rotation after landing on the injured list in late May with a strained left groin. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw is expected to throw around 75 pitches on Saturday in what is expected to be his only rehab start before rejoining the major-league roster. The soft-tossing Perez has a low fantasy ceiling because of his lack of strikeouts. Before his injury, he had gone 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA (4.68 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with only 46 strikeouts and 19 walks in 57 1/3 frames over his 11 starts. The 13-year veteran is sporting a weak 18% strikeout rate in 2024 and has a 16.1% strikeout rate in his career.
According to Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, veteran left-hander Martin Perez (groin) will go on the 15-day injured list as the team awaits more testing on him. The groin injury that Perez suffered in his last outing on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves is obviously serious enough to keep him out for at least the next two weeks, but we don't have the exact specifics of the severity of the injury. The 33-year-old southpaw has been up and down in 2024 and doesn't have much upside in the strikeout department. Perez has so far gone 1-3 on the year with a 4.71 ERA (4.67 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with 19 walks and 46 strikeouts in 57 1/3 frames over his 11 starts for the Bucs. The most likely scenario is that young pitcher Quinn Priester is brought back up from the minors to take Perez's rotation spot the next few weeks.
Martin Perez Leaves Sunday's Start With Groin Injury
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Martin Perez (groin) left Sunday's start against the Atlanta Braves after three innings due to a groin injury. He surrendered one run on four hits while giving up two walks and striking out two. The veteran left-hander is undergoing further testing as the extent of the injury is not known at this point. It is unclear whether he will be able to make his next scheduled start on June 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Perez has compiled a 4.71 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 46:19 K:BB across 11 starts this season and is nothing more than a streaming option when healthy.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez twirled eight innings of one-run ball on six hits and no walks in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, striking out seven hitters en route to a tough-luck no-decision. It looked like Perez was well on his way to earning a win on Tuesday, but closer David Bednar couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning after Perez threw 100 pitches. While the 33-year-old crafty lefty isn't known for having dominant stuff, he's quietly off to a fast start during his first year in Pittsburgh, garnering a 1.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 19 innings to begin the season. Next up for Perez is a scheduled start against the struggling New York Mets on Monday, when he'll be worth considering as a fantasy streamer. In three appearances against the Mets since 2022, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and seven K's across 11 2/3 innings.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez continued his impressive spring during Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The left-hander struck out eight batters over five innings of work during Monday's victory. It's worth noting that Perez never struck out eight hitters during a single start last season. His velocity was down during this game and he was still extremely effective. Perez has allowed one earned run in 12 innings this season. Perez probably won't be a reliable 12-team fantasy option, but could still be worth a look in deep leagues.
Free-agent left-hander Martin Perez signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Perez joins the rebuilding Pirates after going 10-4 with a 4.45 ERA (4.99 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 49 walks and 93 strikeouts in 141 2/3 innings over 35 appearances (20 starts) during the regular season for the World Series-champion Texas Rangers. The 32-year-old was due for some serious regression a year after making the All-Star team for the first time in his career in 2022 when he went 12-8 with a career-best 2.89 ERA (3.26 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP in 32 starts in his first year in Texas. The southpaw will now head to Pittsburgh to be a veteran innings-eater for an inexperienced Pirates starting rotation. Posting similar numbers from last year might be a best-case scenario for Perez, who won't be much of a fantasy option.
Texas Rangers left-hander Martin Perez came out of the bullpen in Sunday's 9-8 win over the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Perez entered the game after starter Nathan Eovaldi went five innings and worked 1 2/3 innings of his own, allowing two earned runs on one hit while walking two and striking out one to earn his second hold of the season. The 32-year-old southpaw has appeared in 34 games (20 starts) for Texas this year but hasn't started a game since July 29 against the San Diego Padres, when he gave up four earned runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 frames in a loss. There was a chance that Perez could start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, but it's unlikely now after he threw 40 pitches on Sunday.
Texas Rangers pitcher Martin Perez could rejoin the starting rotation for the final stretch of the regular season. Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy confirmed on Wednesday that Perez has a chance at returning to the rotation. The left-hander was shifted to the bullpen in early August. The 32-year-old was struggling in the rotation, so they decided to move him into a long relief role. However, the Rangers are in need of starting pitchers with Max Scherzer (shoulder) currently sidelined. Perez has allowed just two earned runs over his last 18 innings out of the bullpen. He could be an interesting streaming option if the Rangers do bring him back to the rotation.
