The floppy hair. The boyish grin. The Big Bird-like stature. It has been far too long since Marlins fans got to see right-hander Eury Pérez take the big league mound -- 20 months and 20 days, to be exact. The wait is almost over, with Pérez making his highly anticipated return in Monday night’s series opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET at PNC Park. Tune in on FanDuel Sports Network Florida, listen on FOX Sports 940AM (WINZ) or WAQI 710 or stream on MLB.TV. "It will definitely be emotional,” Pérez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I’m very excited, but a little bit nervous, too. It has been a while for me. I’ve been away from the field. I’m just looking forward to competing and doing the best I can. It has been a long time.” |
Pérez had just turned 20 when he made his Major League debut on May 12, 2023, skipping the Triple-A level and emerging as one of the Majors’ brightest young arms through his first nine starts (1.34 ERA). The wunderkind was shut down for a bit to monitor his workload, then experienced growing pains before his final start -- a three-inning performance against the Mets on Sept. 20, 2023 -- in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. Along with mentor Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery), Pérez missed the final week of the season and postseason with left SI joint inflammation. He finished with a 149 ERA+ and a 1.13 WHIP in 19 starts. A full-go for 2024 Spring Training, Pérez felt discomfort from a broken nail on his right middle finger, and later right elbow soreness, following his fourth Grapefruit League start. After seeing a specialist twice, Pérez underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace on April 8, 2024. Just as quickly as Pérez’s promising MLB career had gotten underway, it had come to a halt. “I think it was something that was going to eventually happen at some point, so it was good to happen when I was younger so it’s better to heal,” Pérez said. “My mentality is fully set on recuperating and getting better so I can have a strong arm and pitch for many, many years to come.” So Pérez followed Alcantara on the rehab grind. He stayed behind as the club traveled, watching from afar. Less than five months post-surgery, Pérez played catch. He claimed to be at 75 percent leading up to pitchers and catchers’ first workout in February. |
While Alcantara came back on Opening Day and is still trying to find his footing, Pérez began his eight-start rehab assignment on April 26 with Single-A Jupiter. He posted a 1.99 ERA between Jupiter (five starts) and Jacksonville (three starts), completing five frames once, maxing out at 99.3 mph his last time out and reaching 82 pitches. Pérez rejoined the ballclub in Tampa this weekend. “He saw the way that I was doing my workout, to get out of this the best way that I can,” Alcantara said. “He just followed me and everything I was doing. And now, I'm very happy about the way that he's back now. He's ready to compete tomorrow, and going to have a great day tomorrow.” Now comes the next challenge for the 22-year-old Pérez: Reeling in the emotions ahead of his return. “First of all, there's excitement,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “I think, excitement for Eury, for the organization, and a lot of those in our medical and performance groups that have spent a lot of time in being a part of Eury getting back to this point. This is still a very young pitcher that has a ton of upside, that he has shown already the ability to get out Major League hitters here. He's got a big fastball, and we still believe there's a ton of room for Eury to continue to grow with improving his entire arsenal. “But to have him back here in the coming days and be able to take some next steps and get back out on a Major League mound and go compete for us, will be exciting for everyone involved. And we think that there's just so much further potential and untapped ability that Eury will continue to tap into as he continues to get the Major League outings under his belt.” Joey Johnston and Brian Murphy contributed to this story. |
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Otto Lopez hit a two-run homer on his daughter Amelia Luz’s first birthday. |
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