The Nationals announced that left-hander Cionel Perez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Rochester. Right-hander Orlando Ribalta was called up from Triple-A to take Perez’s spot on the 26-man roster, and Washington now has only 39 players on its 40-man roster.
There wasn’t any previous indication that Perez had been designated for assignment, and the lefty actually pitched just yesterday in the Nationals’ 6-1 loss to the Brewers. Perez tossed two scoreless innings in what could be his final game in a Nats uniform, and the transaction could’ve been made in part so Ribalta could provide a fresh arm for the bullpen. Since other relievers still has minor league options remaining, however, the Perez outright could indicate that the team has just decided to move on from the 30-year-old.
Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, Perez made the Nats’ Opening Day roster and thus locked in a $1.9MM guaranteed salary. Things haven’t gone well, as Perez has recorded more walks (11) than strikeouts (nine) while posting a 6.19 ERA over 16 innings. Batters have been making tons of hard contact against Perez’s pitches, and the damage could be even worse if it wasn’t for Perez’s 60.4% grounder rate and a favorable .275 BABIP.
Perez has been outrighted in the past, so he has the right to decline the Nationals’ assignment to Rochester in favor of free agency. Perez’s month-plus on Washington’s roster has now given him enough big league service time to cross the five-year threshold, so he can now retain the approximately $1.5MM remaining of his $1.9MM salary even by becoming a free agent. If Perez signs elsewhere, his new team would pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary, which is subtracted from the $1.5MM sum that is still Washington’s responsibility.
Rochester is a really underrated town.