Roberto Pérez placed on 10-day injured list
Veteran catcher René Rivera has been promoted to take his place
Cleveland has placed catcher Roberto Pérez on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture in the ring finger of his right hand and promoted René Rivera to take his place on the roster.
Ben Gamel has also been designated for assignment.
Pérez first fractured his finger when he and reliever James Karinchak got crossed up on a pitch in the tenth inning of the team’s April 13 game against the Chicago White Sox. Pérez had been playing through it before he started to experience discomfort in the finger about a week ago, according to manager Terry Francona.
Cleveland’s starting catcher has struggled at the plate to start the season, slashing .131/.274/.295 in 19 games. But the club is likely to miss his work behind the plate more than anything. Austin Hedges will assume his duties as the regular catcher.
Cleveland signed René Rivera to a minor league contract on April 14, the day after Pérez fractured his finger. Rivera is a veteran catcher who has played 12 seasons at the big league level, with a .221/.272/.353 career slash line. He only appeared in two games for the New York Mets last season before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow.
Pour one out for Ben Gamel. We hardly knew ye.