There will be a reunion of sorts at spring training this season as the Blue Jays have signed left-handed reliever Luis Perez to a minor league contract, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Perez, who is now 30, signed with the Jays as an amateur free agent at age 18, completing five years in the minor league system before making his major league debut in 2011.
He had a fairly decent season as a short reliever in 2012 before he was taken out from a July game against the White Sox with elbow tightness and soon after he joined the very long list of injured Blue Jays pitchers. Tom wants to note that he was not in attendance that game.
Perez got Tommy John surgery later that summer, which kept him from pitching until June 2013, when he had another setback during a minor league rehab appearance that put him back on the shelf for two more months. He ended up throwing a few big league games that season as a September call-up.
Late last spring, the out-of-options Perez was unconditionally released by the Blue Jays to make room for Matt Tuiasosopo, who was claimed on waivers. Perez then signed with the Braves as a minor league free agent, but he didn't end up throwing a pitch for that organization in 2014, possibly because he was still dealing with his elbow injury.
Eddy did not say whether Perez was extended an invitation to big league spring training, but one would assume that he would be.
The Blue Jays made another minor league signing yesterday, inking Canadian Johnny Stephens to a deal, according to Alexis Brudnicki.
#BlueJays add another Canuck to list of off-season acquisitions, signing 21-year-old John Stephens from Surrey, BC to minor-league contract.
— Alexis Brudnicki (@baseballexis) February 6, 2015There isn't much information about him, except for this profile that showed that he was an outfielder four years ago. I wonder if our resident British Columbia pitcher knows anything about him. Kraemer_17?