Texas Rangers: Martin Perez Could Be Ready By Opening Day

On December 11, Texas Rangers lefty starter Martin Perez broke a bone in his right elbow. The team expected him to miss the first month of the season, but it appears he could be back sooner.

According to T.R. Sullivan, Texas Rangers starter Martin Perez says he will be ready for Opening Day. The organization originally thought Perez would miss April recovering from an accident that occurred at a ranch in Venezuela this winter.

Perez does not expect to miss any time and said he will be ready the first day. The accident happened December 11, and Perez had surgery on his elbow December 18. The team announced that the recovery time could take up to four months.

That means, Perez would likely be out until the end of April. Perez is confident he can beat that timetable and has already started throwing. In fact, Perez expects to be throwing off a mound by the end of January.

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The 26-year-old lefty is an important part of the Rangers rotation. He’s become the No. 2 guy in the rotation with the departure of Yu Darvish. Texas could still add another top-tier talent, but for now Perez will be counted on as second in command.

Last season, Perez went 13-12 with a 4.82 ERA in 32 starts with Texas. He pitched better than the statistics show, and seemed stronger in the second half of 2017. He finished with a career-high 2.1 WAR last season.

The Rangers have Perez under contract through the 2018 season. After that, Texas has two team options for 2019 and 2020. The Rangers are hopeful Perez can build off last season and become a leader in the rotation.