UPDATE: According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, major league baseball plans to independently review Oliver Perez’s medical records, including the MRI that he underwent on Friday.
According to the report, the official said the league often goes this route when injuries are in need of clarification.
The Mets have been very public about their desire to get Perez off the major league roster, so the news about the left-hander’s knee is rather convenient. We’ll soon see if there is any funny business going on.
12:15 PM: Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.tv confirms that Oliver Perez is going on the disabled list with patella tendinitis in his surgically-repaired right knee. Jon Niese will be activated from the disabled list to start against the Marlins on Saturday afternoon.
9:13 AM: The Mets have been trying their darndest to get the struggling Oliver Perez off the active roster, especially with Jon Niese’s return from the disabled list scheduled for Saturday. And it looks like they may have finally found their loophole. “Multiple teammates” told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that they expect Oliver Perez to soon land on the disabled list with a knee injury.
This screams phantom injury, but one teammate told Rubin that Perez underwent an MRI on the knee after the Mets returned from San Diego this week, so perhaps there’s actually something physical going on. While Perez underwent season-ending surgery on his right knee last September, it’s not known which knee is affecting him right now.
There’s some history here, as Perez landed on the disabled list last May with right patella tendinitis in the midst of another poor start.