Martin Perez, who was once feared to have a season-ending injury, has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
The White Sox announced Wednesday that Pérez had returned from his rehab assignment. In corresponding moves, the club optioned left-handed reliever Cam Booser to Triple-A Charlotte and designated fellow left-hander Jared Shuster for assignment.
After optioning Jonathan Cannon to Triple-A, getting Perez back gives the White Sox rotation a much-needed boost. Perez was initially signed this offseason to be a veteran presence and innings eater, but coming off an injury, it is unclear how much of a workload the southpaw will be able to take on.
Pérez was diagnosed with a left forearm strain after being removed from his fourth start of the season on April 18 at Fenway Park. Pérez only made it through three innings, leaving the game with left forearm inflammation after just 52 pitches. He allowed four runs on five hits with a pair of walks and no strikeouts in a 10-3 blowout loss.
The White Sox later placed him on the 60-day IL. Under that initial timeline, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported that while the southpaw avoided Tommy John surgery, he likely wouldn’t start throwing again until September, adding that for all practical purposes, his year was over.
But Pérez was eager to return to the mound. By late July, he was already facing live hitters, and he began a rehab assignment in August. His return gives him a chance to audition for other teams and demonstrate his health ahead of free agency this offseason, assuming the mutual option in his one-year contract is declined.
Before the injury, Perez had been throwing the ball well for the White Sox. Through his first four starts, he posted a 1-1 record and 3.15 ERA, while leading the team in innings pitched (22.1), strikeouts (18), WHIP (1.25), and opponent batting average (.197), all without throwing a pitch over 90 mph.
Shuster Designated For Assignment
Shuster now leaves the team after two seasons with the White Sox. The 27-year-old was acquired in the five-player swap from the Braves for Aaron Bummer. Shuster was once considered a top prospect after getting drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2020 draft.
He now marks the third player the White Sox acquired in that trade to be cut loose, joining Braden Shewmake, Michael Soroka, and Nicky Lopez. Shuster pitched in 51 games for the Southsiders, with 45 of them coming out of the bullpen. In 89 innings of work, he posted a 4.96 ERA with a sub-par 16.9% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate.
The bulk of his time in the organization has been spent yo-yoing between Chicago and Charlotte, with his Triple-A numbers proving even worse than his big league stats. He owns a 6.04 ERA in Triple-A while allowing an average of two homers per nine innings this year.
Other teams have a week to claim Shuster off waivers; otherwise, the White Sox can re-sign him and return him to Triple-A Charlotte.
