The Red Sox have released catcher Roberto Perez, according to Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com. Perez had signed a minor league deal with the team back in December but has spent the entire regular season on the injured list in the minors.
A veteran of 10 MLB seasons, Perez is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and has been consistently regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in the sport. However, the 35-year-old has faced significant injury challenges in recent years, having been a regular presence in the Cleveland lineup during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2021, a fractured finger and shoulder strain limited him to just 44 games, allowing Austin Hedges to surpass him on Cleveland’s depth chart.
Perez became a free agent after the 2021 season, but his injury issues continued. He signed with the Pirates for the 2022 season but played only 21 games before hamstring problems ended his season in early May. The following winter, Perez joined the Giants on a non-roster deal and secured a spot with a strong spring training. Unfortunately, he made it just five games into the regular season before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair his right shoulder’s rotator cuff. Between these injuries and the undisclosed issue plaguing him this year, Perez has only had 86 plate appearances in official games since the end of the 2021 season.
The series of injuries is concerning for a veteran catcher in his mid-30s. However, in his limited appearances during regular seasons and spring training, Perez has shown he can still be a solid defensive catcher when healthy. On the offensive side, though, he has struggled significantly, slashing just .169/.268/.288 with a wRC+ of 58 in 357 plate appearances since his roughly league-average 2019 season.
Despite these struggles, a team in need of catching depth might consider Perez on a minor league deal if he can regain his health in the second half of the season, given his excellent defensive reputation. As for Boston, the team remains well-stocked in catching depth even after parting ways with Perez. Connor Wong and Reese McGuire form their primary catching tandem, with Tyler Heineman on the 40-man roster as an optionable depth piece and Mark Kolozsvary providing additional, non-roster depth with MLB experience at the Triple-A level.
