Antonio

Perez

We were hoping Perez would be traded to a team that would use him as a starter, but at least he’ll be in the majors. He’ll replace Hernandez as Alex Cora’s platoon partner and he can also back up Cesar Izturis.

With Rey Ordonez having surgery, Julio Lugo is the only shortstop on the roster. It would be a terrible idea to call up Perez and use him as a backup, but that doesn’t mean the Rays won’t do it. If the team just wants a reserve to back up Lugo, they should turn to Jason Smith, who has little to gain by remaining in Triple-A.

At the moment, Perez should see fairly regular time at third base and has some value in AL-only leagues.

''Third base is the easiest place to park him,’' manager Lou Piniella said. ''I can DH (Aubrey) Huff some, and I can put (Damian Rolls) in rightfield.’' Perez, who has an 826 OPS, has a little value in AL-only leagues as a regular starter.

Perez has made two starts since being called up June 24. Piniella admits that the kid should be at Triple-A if the Rays aren’t going to use him. With Damian Rolls at third base and Julio Lugo at shortstop, the Tampa infield looks as stable as it’s been for some time.

He’s also stolen a base in each game. Perhaps this will encourage manager Lou Piniella to start giving Perez some playing time against right-handers. Until it happens, he isn’t worth picking up in AL-only leagues.

Perez had three singles and walked twice in six plate appearances. The former top prospect is batting .364 with five walks in 33 at-bats this month. He should play regularly until he stops hitting, giving him some value in AL-only leagues.

We’d like to see what Perez can do in the majors, but the Dodgers don’t have room him at either second or shortstop. He’ll be a pinch-hitter this month and he should be trade bait in the offseason.

With three starts in the last week, Perez is finally starting to get a little more playing time. Until he played on Sept. 18, he had made just one start all month. With such a dominant offense, the Dodgers are just one of those lucky teams that can afford to bury a guy who has maintained a .320 average all year long.

Perez is playing second base in the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers would probably prefer to see him get more work at third base, but it’s not up to them.