White Sox veteran lefty Martin Pérez exits start because of shoulder soreness

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CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago White Sox veteran left-hander Martin Pérez exited his start against Baltimore on Wednesday because of left shoulder soreness.

Pérez, who missed nearly four months this season because of a flexor tendon strain, called timeout after throwing a 2-2 pitch with two outs in the fourth inning of Chicago's 3-1 loss. He departed after he was visited on the mound by manager Will Venable and an athletic trainer.

“At that moment, I was like, I’m not gonna force anything," Pérez said. “I was just trying to be smart because if I keep pushing I'm going to hurt my elbow too. So I think it was a great time for me to tell them take me out because I was not feeling good.”

Venable said the initial evaluation showed “nothing overly concerning,” but that Pérez would get a scan Friday.

Steven Wilson replaced Pérez and struck out Jackson Holliday on the next pitch to end the inning.

The 34-year-old Pérez is in his 14th big league season, his first with the White Sox. An All-Star with Texas in 2022 before helping the Rangers win their only World Series title the following season, he has a $3.5 million salary this year in a contract that includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026 with a $1.5 million buyout.

Pérez was making his sixth start in seven appearances since returning from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 13. He allowed three runs and five hits against Baltimore, and he is 1-6 with a 3.54 ERA in his 11 games this season.

“I know my body, and it’s nothing too bad. It’s just maybe rest a little bit,” Pérez said. “But I’ll be ready for next year. I think I can go three or four more years. ... Hopefully it’s not too bad and we just have a good offseason.”

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