The Mets announced that they have selected the left-hander’s contract Cionel Perez from Triple-A Syracuse. To create space in the 26-man and 40-man lineup, the right hand Tobias Myers optioned to Triple-A and a left-hander Anderson Severino he was chosen for the assignment.
Perez signed a minor league deal with the Nationals last season and made the Opening Day roster, guaranteeing a $1.9MM salary for the 2026 season. After struggling to a 6.19 ERA over 16 games and innings, Perez was cut from Washington’s 40-man roster in early May, and he declined that assignment outright in favor of freedom. The Mets came up with another contract in the minors a few days later, and Perez will get another chance to get his 2026 season (and his career) back on track.
A veteran of nine MLB seasons, Perez’s best career came with the Orioles from 2022-24, when he posted a 3.12 ERA and allowed just four homers over 164 2/3 innings out of the Baltimore pen. The minor leaguer’s ability to keep the ball in the park has helped paper over uninspiring strikeouts and walk rates, but as of Opening Day 2025, Perez has a 7.41 ERA over 37 2/3 major league innings, with 29 walks and just 30 strikeouts. Although he still produces quality hitters, Perez has given up five hits in his last two career seasons, so hitters do a lot of damage if they can get the ball in the air.
It remains to be seen if Perez can make it to Queens, or if he could find himself back in DFA limbo as part of the Mets’ never-ending bullpen churn. Brooks Raley, AJ Minterand now David Peterson they represent some left-handed options in New York’s relief team, and Perez is likely to ride the coffee cup as the new arm after the Mets went 10 innings in yesterday’s 9-7 victory over the Marlins.
Since Perez has more than five years of MLB service, he was able to keep his 2026 salary even after rejecting his offer from the Nationals. That means Washington will owe him all of that $1.9MM, with the Mets on the hook for just a fraction of the Major League minimum salary for any time Perez spends on the active roster.
Severino’s major league career includes six games and 7 1/3 innings (with a 6.14 ERA) for the White Sox in 2022. After being cut by the Sox following that season, he spent the next three seasons out of professional baseball, including two years in the Mexican League before the Mets signed Severino to a minor league contract.
New York picked Severino’s contract off the 40-man roster 11 days ago but optioned Severino to Triple-A, perhaps indicating that Severino had some sort of opt-out clause in his contract if he wasn’t placed on the 40-man roster. His 1.31 ERA and 51.1% strikeout rate over 20 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse may draw some attention to the waiver wire, but those impressive numbers are dwarfed by a .229 BABIP and 13.8% walk rate, and Severino’s 25% strikeout rate is nothing special.
Myers’ demotion to Triple-A is also worth mentioning, as he has a 4.05 ERA over 33 1/3 innings this season (serving as right reliever in 18 games and making two pseudo-starts as a starter). His ability to throw as many innings as possible has been useful for the Mets, but Myers has allowed at least one run in four of his last five outings, and was charged with two runs during an inning of work yesterday. Myers will likely be called up before too long, especially if Perez is only on the show for a short time.
