Atlanta Recalls Williams Perez from Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - The Atlanta Braves announced today the recall of right-hander Williams Perez from Triple-A Gwinnett. Perez joins Atlanta's 25-man roster for the first time and is set to make his Major League debut. To make room for Perez, the Braves optioned right-handed reliever Michael Kohn to Gwinnett.

 

Perez, 23, went 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA (4 ER in 27.0 IP) and two quality starts in five games with Gwinnett, his Triple-A debut. He was recently named by the Braves as Gwinnett's Pitcher of the Month for April after going 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER in 23.0 IP) over four starts last month. At the time of promotion, he ranked second in the International League in ERA behind only Buffalo left-hander Randy Wolf (1.24).

 

The Acarigua, Venezuela native was signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent on January 12, 2009. In 109 career Minor League games (89 starts), Perez is 30-23 with a 3.32 ERA (186 ER in 504.0 IP) and one complete game. He enjoyed a breakout year with Double-A Mississippi in 2014, going 7-6 with a 2.91 ERA (43 ER in 133.0 IP) and capturing both Southern League Midseason and Postseason All-Star honors. Atlanta named him the M-Braves' Pitcher of the Year for 2014.

 

Kohn, 28, went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 4.2 IP) over six relief appearances with Atlanta after having his contract purchased from Gwinnett on April 24. He opened the season with the G-Braves, going 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA (4 ER in 8.1 IP).

 

The Gwinnett Braves (12-14) conclude a three-game series at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (13-14) on Thursday night, first pitch at PNC Field scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Sugar Ray Marimon (1-0, 0.69 ERA) will start for the G-Braves. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 6:00 p.m.

 

Gwinnett's next home game is Monday, May 11 at 6:35 p.m. against the Syracuse Chiefs. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.