Perez on Track for Midseason Return

Martin Perez went on a streak of historic proportions early in the 2014 season when he tossed two straight shutouts and ran his scoreless inning streak into the high 20s. After the third start in that span -- a second consecutive complete-game shutout -- Perez began a massive downfall that ended just a few weeks later with him hitting the DL and requiring Tommy John surgery.

Even still, at 23 years old, he showed tons of promise as a possible frontline starter for years to come.

Now, the Texas Rangers are hoping to have him back by midseason at sometime in 2015 to hopefully solidify their rotation that has some question marks at the moment. Behind Yu Darvish and Derek Holland, the Rangers will look to trade for a No. 3 starter, and will likely sign Colby Lewis to round out the rotation as the No. 5 starter while most likely letting guys like Nick Martinez and Nick Tepesch battle it out for the No. 4 spot.

When Perez returns -- and keep in mind most Tommy John folks need a full two years after surgery to return to form even if they return to the mound in a year -- it'd be a huge boost if he could slide into the No. 4 spot and regain his sea legs.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in an interview with 105.3 The Fan earlier this week that he expects to see Perez making rehab starts by June and returning to the bigs in July at some point, barring any setbacks, of course.

If that goes according to plan, the Rangers could be in business down the stretch when it comes to their rotation, and either way it'll be great to see Perez and his business-like demeanor well beyond his years back on the mound.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us