Junior Perez News: On fire at Triple-A

Perez is slashing .306/.443/.729 with 10 home runs and eight steals in 24 games since getting promoted from Double-A Midland to Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 1.

Perez, who has primarily played center field this season, was a notable international signee by the Padres in 2018 and was dealt as a player to be named later in the June 2020 trade that sent Jorge Mateo from Oakland to San Diego. Perez turned 24 in July and has struggled with strikeouts in the past, but his 75 percent contact rate and 9.3 percent swinging-strike rate at Triple-A are solid enough marks, and pitchers are clearly worried about him (19.8 BB%). He will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason if the Athletics want to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.