Cleveland, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) - The Cleveland Indians have made a roster move in their bullpen this afternoon ahead of the series finale against the Minnesota Twins.
Nick Wittgren has been activated from the Paternity List. In order to make room for him on the roster, left-handed reliever Oliver Perez has been designated for assignment.
Perez had resigned with the Indians as a free agent on February 18, 2021 and had been effective again out of the bullpen. Now in his 19th season - the most ever by a Mexican-born player in Major League Baseball - Perez had not allowed an earned run in 3 2/3 innings this month. The 39-year old has pitched in the Indians' bullpen since 2018. He's pitched for eight different franchises in his career.
Nick Wittgren was placed on the Paternity List on April 26. He's had a tough start to the season, allowing six earned runs on eight hits through 5 1/3 innings. But he's been a valuable piece in Terry Francona's bullpen over the last two seasons since the Indians acquired him in a trade with Miami back in February 2019.
Terry Francona told reporters today that the team was designating Perez for assignment because they were having a hard time finding the appropriate spots to use him in games.
