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The All-Star break cannot come fast enough for one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 MLB season. The Texas Rangers (51-36) are limping their way to the Midsummer Classic after losing eight of their last 12 games. They now hold just a two-game lead over the Houston Astros in the American League West. It's time to regroup.
Hence, manager Bruce Bochy is skipping veteran pitcher Martin Perez in the starting rotation, per Shawn McFarland of Dallas Morning News. He will next take the mound after the All-Star Break.
The long rest comes during a season in which Perez is posting a 4.81 ERA and a troubling .287 batting average against. He seemed to be figuring things out after allowing just six runs total in his last 19 innings pitched. However, a strong end to June gave way to a dismal start to July. The 32-year-old lefty was absolutely rocked Monday afternoon against the Astros, going just 1 1/2 innings and surrendering six runs.
Bochy will need Perez to be fresh for the last two-and-a-half months of the season if the Rangers are to hold onto their slim divisional lead. The devastating news that Jacob deGrom needed a second Tommy John surgery has forced other starters to step up. Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray have definitively answered the call, but Perez has reverted back closer to his career average after a surprise All-Star 2022 campaign (2.89 ERA, 169 strikeouts).
There are likely many MLB fans who expect Texas to run out of gas and cede control of the AL West to reigning World Series champion Houston, but this squad has looked the part of a title contender almost the entire year. A good blend of veteran and youth stardom has translated to a long-awaited revival for the franchise.
Martin Perez can still be a part of that success, which is why the Rangers are proactively giving him a little more time to refuel. This pit stop could do wonders when the team enters must-win games deep in the summer.
