Andrew Pérez is in the Dominican Republic and ready to be activated by the Tigres del Licey for the season. The Cuban-American hurler threw a live batting practice for the team and could join the team’s bullpen this upcoming week.
Pérez was a key piece for the team in last season’s playoffs that culminated in the squad from Santo Domingo losing the league’s final series in seven games to their cross-town rivals Leones del Escogido. The southpaw posted a 1.84 earned run average in 19 outings in relief last season for the felines.
I spoke to Pérez yesterday and he had this to see about being activated by the team and a future incorporation with Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, ” I think I should be activated hopefully by this week. I threw a live BP today, but yeah, actually, the pitching coach (Jesús Manso) reached out to me. He was the pitching coach for Union Laguna in Mexico. He reached out to me to see if I want to actually go down there and play with Cuba and the Copa America, the event they have going on now in November, but obviously I was down here.”
“We’ve been in contact, but I told him I was here, you know, I wanted to check and see in case I can’t play in the Copa America if that affects me for playing with Cuba in the Classic. He said it shouldn’t, so obviously they’re going to keep track of me down here. But it seemed to me that they are proceeding with the Cuban Americans in future tournaments. “
With Pérez getting in game shape expect the left-hander to be a key figure in Dominican’s squad bullpen and key be a important piece to Cuba’s relieving corps in the upcoming World Baseball Classic this March in Puerto Rico. This summer hard-throwing lefty had a 1-1 record in 37 appearances with the Charros de Jalisco of the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol this summer.