Rangers’ Martin Perez impresses in rehab start

The first pitch Martin Perez threw Monday night didn’t go as planned, but it least the ball that Colin Walsh hit for a leadoff home run was a strike.

Otherwise, the Midland RockHounds didn’t stand much of a chance against the Texas Rangers’ left-hander, who returned to the rehab trail with Double A Frisco after just more than a week off to nurse a sore groin.

Perez threw hard, he threw strikes and he was on the attack over three innings and 39 pitches. Most importantly, his reconstructed elbow and groin felt fine as he works his way back toward the Rangers’ rotation.

“The problem I had with my leg is gone and I’m ready to go continue my rehab,” said Perez, who touched 94 mph on the radar gun. “My sinker, all my pitches were good down in the zone, and I just kept working. That’s it. I don’t care about the result. I just want to feel good with my arm and my leg, and I think everything was good.”

Perez said he likely has four more starts before the Rangers would consider activating him from the 60-day disabled list. Three of his teammates — infielders Rougned Odor, Hanser Alberto and Juricks Profar — watched him from Dr Pepper Ballpark, and general manager Jon Daniels also watched Perez.

“I saw a lot of life in the arm. Three of the four pitches — the fastball, the slider and the changeup — were outstanding. For the second time out, it was very encouraging. It’s three innings in Double A, but you can’t ask for much more than what you saw tonight.”

Daniels said that he will likely return here Wednesday morning to watch lefty Matt Harrison, who continues to rehab from major back surgery last year. Harrison will return sooner than Perez to a rotation that hasn’t had a starter allowed more than three runs since June 3.

As Daniels and the Rangers learned last year, pitching depth is vital. He also knows how difficult it is for a team go through a season without leaning on its depth, as the Rangers have already done this season.

He’s not worrying yet about how to Harrison and Perez will into the rotation and which starter will lose his rotation spot.

“We’ve got five guys throwing the ball well right now,” Daniels said. “It’s a lot better than a year ago this time. Things change quickly in this game. We’re talking through our options, but until we have to make those calls, there’s no need to get ahead of yourself.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Rangers’ Martin Perez impresses in rehab start."