Martin Perez exits with injury, but White Sox high on veteran’s presence on young team
Martin Perez’s 2025 season, so trying for the 14-year veteran, seems to be over early, just as what might have been his final outing of the year was.
The White Sox lefty knew after a fourth-inning pitch that it was time, a sore shoulder that had been bothering him for a couple innings demanding an exit from Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Orioles, the White Sox’ sixth consecutive defeat.
Manager Will Venable said the injury wasn’t “overly concerning,” but Perez talked of playing it safe and trying to best set himself up for a healthier 2026.
“I’m not going to force anything,” Perez said. “I don’t want to get hurt again and have surgery or something. I was trying to be smart, because if I keep pushing, I’m going to hurt my elbow, too. It was a great time for me to tell them to take me out.
“I’ll be ready for next year. I think I can go three or four more years. I know it’s not good to finish on the [injured list], but everybody knows what I can do when I’m on the mound.”
The Sox didn’t get what they had hoped when they signed Perez to be an innings-eater for an otherwise inexperienced pitching staff. An elbow injury scuttled those plans, knocking him out from mid-April to mid-August. Perez contributed in other ways, described as a clubhouse leader all season.
“Martin’s been great for us,” general manager Chris Getz said. “When he’s taken the ball, he’s done a really nice job. Beyond what he does on the field, in the clubhouse, the pro that he is, he really embodies the leadership role.
“We like Martin, 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. Obviously, there’s more time and conversations that need to be had.”
Perez’s contract has a $10 million mutual option for next season, which strikes as a steep price tag for someone who was limited to only 11 outings this year.
But bringing Perez back in some way seems reasonable, considering the Sox might again need an innings-eater with more young pitchers making their first forays into the majors.
“It’s not easy to win games. Sometimes we do our best and it doesn’t happen. But next year is going to be different,” Perez said of the rebuilding Sox. “This is a year to learn, and we are going to be ready for winning next year.”
Vasil staying in bullpen
Rookie righty Mike Vasil has been one of the Sox’ better pitchers this season, filling a do-it-all role in the bullpen.
And that’s where he’ll stay, even though he came up through the minor leagues as a starter.
“We like him in the bullpen, we do,” Getz said. “Not to say that he can’t be a starter at some point, but to be able to pitch [in high-leverage situations] and also offer multi-inning opportunities, he’s not scared, that’s for sure. He loves those moments.
“We’re going to continue to grow him in that bullpen role. He seems to enjoy it. He’s got a long career in front of him, so I don’t want to close the door on starting in the future. But next year for us, I see him in the bullpen.”