Martín Pérez
Breakdown
Performance
NewsPowered by
Powered by
May 5, 2026
Could be needed to start
Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said that Perez wasn't available out of the bullpen for Monday's 5-4 loss to Seattle because the left-hander might be needed to start one of the final two games of the series in Seattle, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
Atlanta has already confirmed Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes as its starters for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, but Weiss's comments may indicate that one of the two is not necessarily locked into taking the hill that day. Though he had been expected to shift to the bullpen when Atlanta brought back Spencer Strider from the injured list over the weekend, Perez looks like he could still be a factor in the rotation. Whether he makes his next appearance as a starter or a reliever, Perez will be fresh after having not pitched since last Tuesday, when he tossed five scoreless innings against Detroit to bring his season ERA down to 2.22.
April 29, 2026
Picks up second win Tuesday
Perez (2-1) picked up the win Tuesday against the Tigers, allowing two hits and four walks with five strikeouts across five shutout innings.
Analysis
Perez's five strikeouts and four walks were both his most in a game this season. The veteran left-hander was tagged for four runs against the Diamondbacks on April 5 but has otherwise held opponents to two runs or fewer in his five other appearances. He kept the Tigers at bay with a heavy dose of changeups, throwing it more than 37 percent of the time Tuesday. Perez has a 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings this season. With Spencer Strider (oblique) set for his season debut this week, Perez may head to the bullpen for Atlanta.
