Martín Pérez returns to pitch Braves to win

PHILADELPHIA — It is not typically supposed to be this easy. Yet, by some stroke of front office wizardry, everything has gone according to plan with regard to Martín Pérez.

Pérez pitched six scoreless innings for the Braves on Friday in a start against the Phillies, a game that would become a 9-0 Braves’ win. Three days earlier, Pérez was a free agent and at another crossroads of his long MLB career.

But Wednesday, Pérez decided to re-sign with the Braves’ organization on a minor-league contract. Later that night, he was told he would get the ball Friday in the opener of a three-game series on the road against the team’s division rival.

“The most important thing is I was throwing at home and trying to stay hot because you never know what’s gonna happen,” Pérez said after Friday’s game. “I signed back and when (the Braves) told me (I would start) it was a big surprise for me. But I think at this point in my career, you got to be ready for anything.”

Let’s back up a bit.

In February, Pérez was one of 24 nonroster invitees to Atlanta’s spring training camp. The 35-year-old had gone 1-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 10 starts with the lowly White Sox in 2025.

The Braves threw him a lifeline and Pérez put up competitive numbers (2.84 ERA, .260 BAA, 10 Ks in 12.2 IP) in the Grapefruit League over four appearances.

“When I signed, I talked with (Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos) and said, ‘I’m just going to need a chance. I need a chance to make sure my body is good, my arm is good, and I’m going to show you guys that I can be that guy who can help you,’” Pérez said in March.

On March 30, four days into the regular season, the Braves selected Pérez to the MLB roster before he had to report to Triple-A Gwinnett. He pitched 4⅓ innings of scoreless relief the following day against the Athletics at Truist Park.

Five days later, and the day after his 35th birthday, Pérez got a start in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Despite allowing four earned runs, Pérez ate five innings and kept the game in check, a game the Braves eventually lost in 10 innings.

On April 11, the Guardians could only get one run and two hits in five innings off Pérez. After the game, however, the veteran lefty was designated for assignment.

“Look, I mean, you go through the process and there was a chance we could have lost Martín through free agency. He claimed free agency — and that’s a player’s right, right?” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Friday. “But fortunately, he came back to us. I’ve talked about how much I like him and what he brings.”

When the Braves designated Pérez for assignment, the other 29 MLB teams had a chance to claim him off waivers. With the way Pérez had pitched, coupled with injuries to pitching staffs across the league, it would not have been shocking had Pérez landed elsewhere.

But the Venezuelan went unclaimed, and the Braves outrighted him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Pérez instead opted to become a free agent. Turns out he and the Braves were still a match.

“I talk about the guy — he’s a pro, and he’s still really good,” Weiss said. “He can still really pitch. Pitched really well last year, he’s off to a great start this year, so glad we got him.”

In the meantime, while Pérez was in limbo and before his shutdown performance Friday against the Phillies, the Braves called up relief pitchers Dylan Dodd, Rolddy Muñoz and Hayden Harris, respectively, in successive days. All three of those players have since been sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett.