Share Video
Cleveland designated Perez for assignment Wednesday, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.
Perez will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to fellow reliever Nick Wittgren (personal), who was reinstated from the paternity list in a corresponding move. The 39-year-old Perez has been a mainstay in the Cleveland bullpen over the past three-plus seasons, producing a 2.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 while racking up 40 holds and two saves across 143 appearances. According to Withers, manager Terry Francona said he was struggling to find the right spots to use the left-handed Perez, a likely consequence of MLB instituting the three-batter minimum rule in 2020. With fewer teams employing lefty specialists these days, Perez may struggle to quickly find another big-league opportunity.
