Right-handed pitcher allows four runs in two innings in a 13-1 home loss to the Rockies.
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When Luis Perales called his mom on Tuesday night after the Class AAA Rochester game, she already had an idea of what her son was about to tell her.
Perales said he was joining the Washington Nationals, and her eyes immediately welled up. He’s the latest in a carousel of pitching moves as the team tries to piece together enough innings to survive the dog days of summer.
But Perales, unlike some of the other relievers who have made brief appearances, comes armed with a four-seam fastball that tops 100 mph.
His debut on Wednesday didn’t go as smoothly as he would have hoped. The right-handed pitcher allowed four runs in two innings in the Nationals’ 13-1 home loss. The Nationals (62-73) have dropped 12 of their past 15 games, hitting a new low after a first half full of optimism.
“That was bad, really bad,” Manager Blake Butera said. “I thought we were pretty flat. I thought we didn’t play as hard as we normally do. … We have to come out expecting and playing our butts off every single night. I felt like we were short tonight.”
Perales came out of the bullpen, entering the game with two outs in the fifth inning. Matt Waldron, who joined the team on Tuesday, pitched the first two innings, followed by Will Dion, who allowed four runs in 2⅔ innings. Andres Chaparro, getting his first major league start at third base, provided the only run for the Nationals with a solo home run in the second inning.
The night turned into one of their worst losses of the season, with infielder Jorbit Vivas pitching the final 1 1/3 innings. It again highlighted how badly the Nationals need energy and talent like Perales’s injected into the roster, if they can get him sharper.
“Overall, he showed some promise,” Butera said. “I think there’s a bright future for Luis.”
The reliever role is still relatively new to Perales, and one he admits took some getting used to. Perales, 23, signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2019. At the time, he could throw 92 mph. That increased quickly to 95, and by the time he came stateside in 2022, he was up to 99.
Injuries, though, slowed him down. He didn’t pitch over 90 innings in his first three seasons and in 2024 required Tommy John surgery. That took him out until the end of the 2025 season, when he returned for just three games.
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In December, President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, previously with the Red Sox, traded for Perales. He was sent to Rochester for the season, where he found momentum as a starter. His injury-riddled past taught him an important lesson about recovery, he said, and he put an increased emphasis on strengthening his arm this season.
“During my rehab, I learned a lot of things throughout that moment, but the most important one was how to take care of my body,” Perales said through an interpreter. “That’s what’s helped me to maintain myself healthy this season because even today, I’m still trying to take care of my body like I’m going through that rehab.”
After the trade deadline, it became clear that the Nationals were not only falling out of contention but also in need of arms after they traded Foster Griffin and designated Zack Littell, Miles Mikolas and Trevor Williams for assignment.
So to prepare Perales for his debut and to limit his innings coming back from Tommy John surgery, Rochester moved him to the bullpen. His first appearance out of the bullpen was shaky — he allowed two runs in 1⅔ innings — but his next three were stronger, Perales pitching two scoreless innings in each appearance.
On Tuesday, Rochester Manager Matt LeCroy called Perales into his office and told him the news.
“It was pretty shocking,” Perales said. “I stood in silence for like five minutes, but just really happy after that.”
Perales entered the game Wednesday with a runner on first and two outs, the first time, he said, he’s entered a game with traffic. He threw three straight balls to begin his major league career, walking Willi Castro on five pitches. Against his second batter, Mickey Moniak, Perales unveiled his 100-mph four-seam fastball on his way to his to getting Moniak swinging on an 89.9-mph splitter for his first major league strikeout.
In the sixth inning, Perales walked Ezequiel Tovar but otherwise made it out unscathed. But in the seventh inning, things started to catch up to Perales. He gave up back-to-back singles to Hunter Goodman and TJ Rumfield then walked Castro to load the bases with one out.
Perales got Moniak to strike out for the second time, but then gave up a grand slam to Connor Norby. Perales gave up one more hit before his debut was over. He showed his potential but only threw 27 of his 53 pitches for strikes and split his usage evenly between his fastball, cutter and slider. He said his fastball didn’t feel sharp, and Butera added that he’d like to see Perales use that pitch more in the future.
“I feel really good, really happy,” Perales said. “One outing is not going to define the type of pitcher I am. Just have to keep working hard.”
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