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Cleveland has activated reliever Nick Wittgren from the paternity list and designated left-handed reliever Oliver Pérez for assignment in a corresponding move.
Manager Terry Francona was reportedly having a hard time finding spots for Pérez to pitch. According to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, Pérez received the news last night and thanked every teammate and member of Cleveland’s travel staff. He made a point to seek out rookie lefty reliever Kyle Nelson to “wish him luck and to encourage him to seize the opportunity.”
Pérez was in his fourth season with the club, having signed a minor league contract worth a base salary of $1.25 in the offseason. The 39-year-old veteran reliever had appeared in five games this season and accounted for 3.2 innings of work, allowing five hits but no earned runs and recording four strikeouts and no walks. It’s unclear what the future holds for him now.
Cleveland now has an open spot in their 40-man roster.