Marlins send rookie Perez back to minors after impressive MLB stint
Associated Press3 Minute Read
MIAMI — The Miami Marlins are sending Eury Perez back to the minor leagues after an impressive two-month stint in the majors.
The 20-year-old Perez debuted in May as Miami’s youngest starting pitcher ever. Over 11 starts, the right-hander had a 5-3 record with a 2.36 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
Perez struck out six, allowed three hits and one run in his first MLB win — a 5-3 victory over Washington on May 18. He had one poor outing against Atlanta on July 1, lasting one-third of an inning, giving up six runs and seven hits in an eventual 7-0 loss.
“I’m just grateful that we’ve had him for as long as we had him,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “And I didn’t think we’d have him this soon either. I knew he was good. I didn’t know he was going to be that good. We’re not in the position that we’re in without him. I think now is the perfect time for it.”
General manager Kim Ng said Friday that with the starting rotation getting healthy — some are expected back from the injured list in the next week or so — optioning Perez back to Double-A Pensacola gives the team a chance to rest him.
“You definitely feel for players when you have to send them out,” Ng said, “but he was a pro.”
Schumaker said it’s not a “complete” shutdown for Perez. The team hopes to have him back later in the season. The plan is for him to continue throwing in the minors.
“He’s not a finished product either. That’s the other thing about it,” Schumaker said. “He was really, really good, but he’s so gifted that there’s so many other things he can do with the baseball. We’re excited for him to keep working on his craft down there.”
The Marlins have been careful with Perez’s workload since he was called up on May 12 and have tried to limit his innings and pitches.
He hasn’t pitched more than six innings, and his 93 pitches in Thursday’s loss to St. Louis matched a season high. He struck out seven, walked two and gave up three hits, and also surpassed 78 innings pitched in a season for the first time in his career.
“Every batter I face is a memory for me,” Perez said Thursday. “I have that mentality of ‘just keep going.’ I don’t know if they’re going to stop me now or when it’s going to happen, but my mentality is to continue working hard and be ready to help this team in any way I can.”
Miami on Friday also recalled right-hander Sean Reynolds from Triple-A Jacksonville, selected the contract of left-hander Robert Garcia from Jacksonville and designated right-hander Jeff Lindgren for assignment.
Reynolds is a former position player who converted to pitcher. The Marlins drafted him as a first baseman in the fourth round in 2016. He posted a 2.66 ERA with 11 saves between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville this season.
Catcher Jacob Stallings has come in to pitch late in a few games this season. He came in during the ninth inning of a 14-6 loss to Atlanta and struck out Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr.
“Excited for him and his family,” Schumaker said. “Another cool story – a position player to a pitcher. We have a pitcher that’s a position player on the roster. Big kid. Big personality. Big fastball.”
