But the injury bug appears to have caught up to the veteran left-hander once again in the White Sox 3-1 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday afternoon at Rate Field, as Pérez left in the top of the fourth inning with left shoulder soreness after throwing a pitch to Jackson Holliday where Jorge Mateo stole third.
Pérez held his hands up almost immediately to call time, signaled for manager Will Venable and head athletic trainer James Kruk to come from the dugout and left the game with them. Pérez had a 3.34 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 32 1/3 innings in his return from the injured list entering Wednesday. He previously has talked about returning to the White Sox, which was a sentiment general manager Chris Getz agreed with during his 32-minute pregame talk.
“Obviously, the setback of the injury was unfortunate for him and for us, but when he’s taken the ball he’s done a really nice job,” Getz said before the injury. “Beyond what he does on the field, in the clubhouse, the pro that he is, he really embodies the leadership role.
“We’ll have those conversations. We like Martín, we really do, and would be happy to have him come back here. It’s my understanding that he’d be open to it as well. There’s more time and conversations that need to be had.”
The southpaw earned $3.5 million this season and has a $10 million mutual option for 2026, with a $1.5 million buyout.
