Perez was credited with his second hold of the season in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Mariners after striking out a batter and allowing two earned runs on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.
After Perez delivered 4.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen Wednesday, manager Bruce Bochy told Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com that the veteran southpaw might be a candidate to fill the vacant No. 5 spot in the rotation. The open spot in the rotation comes up Tuesday against the Angels, but after throwing 40 pitches in relief Sunday, Perez no longer looks like a realistic option to start for Texas. The Rangers could end up treating Tuesday's contest as more of a bullpen day, with the likes of Andrew Heaney, Jake Latz and Cody Bradford presumably available to cover multiple innings, if needed.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Could rejoin rotation
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Manager Bruce Bochy said it's "fair to say" Perez may have worked his way back into the Rangers' starting rotation after the lefty allowed three hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 4.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Red Sox, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.comreports.
Wednesday's starter Jon Gray was unable to make it through three frames, but Perez pitched excellent in long relief and could make a start or two for Texas down the stretch, with Max Scherzer (shoulder) sidelined. Perez initially struggled after being moved to the bullpen in early August, but he's surrendered just two earned runs with a 0.96 WHIP across his past 18.2 innings.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Snags win in relief
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Perez (9-4) earned the win in relief Monday against the Mets, firing two scoreless innings during which he recorded two strikeouts.
Perez had struggled mightily in his prior two appearances, allowing six runs on nine hits over 6.1 innings. He was sharp Monday, however, firing 19 of his 27 pitches for strikes in relief of Jon Gray to earn his ninth win. Since moving to the bullpen earlier this month, Perez sports a 4.76 ERA across 11.1 innings. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.96 with a 1.49 WHIP and 75:44 K:BB across 119.2 innings this season. The 32-year-old southpaw should continue to work in a swingman role for the Rangers down the stretch.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Makes first relief appearance
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Perez allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 6-0 win over Miami.
This was Perez's first turn out of the bullpen after he was removed from the starting rotation, as the Rangers created room for starters acquired at the trade deadline. He mopped up in the ninth inning, but the stretched-out Perez could work as a long reliever when a starter is unable give the team length.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Demoted to bullpen
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Perez was moved to the bullpen Thursday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The 32-year-old lefty is the odd man out in the Rangers' rotation after the club acquired both Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Perez was excellent for Texas in 2022, even earning his first career All-Star nod, but he's struggled to a 4.98 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 69:41 K:BB through 108.1 innings (20 starts) this season.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Loses versus Padres
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Perez (8-4) allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out just one in 5.2 innings, taking the loss Saturday versus the Padres.
Perez gave up all four runs in the second inning, and the Texas offense mustered just four hits and three walks in the game. It was the second outing in a row in which Perez gave up four runs in one frame, though he was able to overcome it last Sunday versus the Dodgers. The southpaw now has a 4.98 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 69:41 K:BB through 108.1 innings over 20 starts this season. Perez is tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Marlins next weekend, but either he or Dane Dunning may be at risk of losing his spot in the rotation once the Rangers activate Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) shakes off his injury.
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Rangers' Martin Perez: Overcomes rough first inning
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Perez (8-3) earned the win Sunday over the Dodgers, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings.
Perez got off to a terrible start, allowing a grand slam to Max Muncy in the first inning. The veteran southpaw settled down after that, and the Rangers' offense took care of the rest to give Perez his first win of the month. He's now at a 4.91 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 68:38 K:BB through 102.2 innings over 19 starts this season. Perez is lined up to make his next start on the road in San Diego.
Perez allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two over five innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Sunday.
All three runs against Perez were knocked in by Steven Kwan. After a short outing versus Houston on July 3, Perez was skipped in the rotation before the All-Star break, and he was sloppy against a light-hitting lineup despite the extra time off. The southpaw now has a 4.84 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 62:36 K:BB through 96.2 innings over 18 starts. Perez is lined up for a tough home start versus the Dodgers over the weekend.
Perez's next turn in the rotation will be skipped, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Perez was originally lined up to start Saturday's game against the Nationals, but his next start will now have to wait until after the All-Star break. Cody Bradford will likely start Friday against Washington, pushing back Andrew Heaney into Saturday as Perez's replacement. Perez finishes the first half of the season with a 4.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP through 91.2 innings.
