ATL All Day
Fansided

Williams Perez Headed to DL, RHP Jake Brigham Recalled

By Jonathan Savitske

facebooktwitterreddit

During the 5th inning of last night’s game vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, Atlanta Braves Pitcher Williams Perez took a scorching line drive off the bat of Pirates 3B Josh Harrison to the right ankle which ricocheted over towards the first base side of the infield.

-= Related: Atlanta Braves’ Tryout Camps: Pursue Your Dreams! =-

Though Perez was initially able to stay in the game, he eventually succumbed to the discomfort of the injury by proceeding to walk Neil Walker on four consecutive pitches. He then hit CF Andrew McCutchen the very next at bat.

“Perez’s injury adds more pressure to an already reeling Atlanta Braves club that is desperately missing 1B Freddie Freeman’s presence.”

It became clear that Williams Perez was in a significant amount of pain, which prevented him from landing on his ankle out of the stretch with his full body-weight. Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez had to the pull Perez from the game and the bullpen took over, ultimately leading to an eventual loss in extra-innings 3-2.

It was unfortunate that Perez had to exit the game, as he had pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless ball with two strikeouts. He was, however, responsible for the two base runners that later scored on 1B Pedro Alvarez’s two-RBI single off LHP Luis Avilan.

More from Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves conducted x-rays on Perez’s ankle after the game. Thankfully they were negative, showing no structural damage to his left ankle and left foot instep. Despite the good report, the Atlanta Braves will handle this situation cautiously by sending Williams Perez to the Disabled List and recalling RHP Jake Brigham to take Perez’s roster spot, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports.

A journeyman, Jake Brigham (27) has had a successful past month at AAA Gwinnett, possessing an ERA of 2.00. Despite his recent string of success, Brigham has not been without his own issues. He possesses an ERA of 4.50, demonstrating some struggles and control problems before his effective performances as of late.

It will be interesting to see more of the Atlanta Braves already impressive stable of young pitchers when Brigham joins the team. We have already seen prospects Mike Foltynewicz and Matt Wisler in addition to Williams Perez pitch for the Atlanta Braves this season

Live Feed

MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension
MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension /

FanSided

  • The cause and effect of the Braves alluring additions of Kelenic and Fletcher House That Hank Built
  • The 6 best Atlanta Braves who were never recognized as All-StarsHouse That Hank Built
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto update: Yankees on, Dodgers question, Braves wild cardCall to the Pen
  • World Series Odds: Which Teams Have Value after Shohei Ohtani Signing?Betsided
  • Braves finalize coaching moves after Wash-led exodusFanSided

    • Before Perez’s injury, he had been arguably the Atlanta Braves best starter since he joined the Atlanta rotation in May. Possessing a 2.88 ERA and a 4-0 record, batters were only hitting .246 against him with a WHIP of 1.36.

    With the Braves in the midst of a 4-game losing streak and coming off being swept by division rival Washington Nationals, having starters pitch into the late innings of games is increasingly paramount, given the shaky performance of the Braves bullpen as of late.

    Williams Perez’s injury adds more pressure to an already reeling Atlanta Braves club that is desperately missing 1B Freddie Freeman’s presence. Though the Atlanta Braves starting pitching has been effective over the past week, they are clearly missing the run support that Freeman’s bat provides.

    It will be interesting to see if the Braves will be able to overcome the most recent addition to a growing list of injuries and stay in the thick of the NL East race. Stay tuned for more updates.

    Next: Braves Lose to Pirates in Extras 3-2

    More from ATL All Day

    Home/Atlanta Braves