Perez, Jaso content for now to do their work in the minors

Posted Mar 17, 2010 by Tribune Sports

Updated Mar 17, 2010 at 07:07 PM

PORT CHARLOTTE - Getting optioned to minorl league camp is never easy news for a player to take, but outfielder Fernando Perez said Wednesday he welcomes the chance to play every day and continue getting healthy, and catcher John Jaso sounded encouraged by the positive feedback he received from manager Joe Maddon.

Perez, Jaso, catcher Jose Lobaon and first baseman Chris Richard all were sent to minor league camp Wednesday, as the Rays moved another step closer to setting their 25-man opening day roster.

After tearing ligaments in his wrist during spring training last year, needing surgery and missing 130 games and then undergoing in October to repair the labrum in his left shoulder, Perez, 26, said he’s really on a “few-years plan” to become an everyday major league player.

“I can play well this year, certainly, but I’m looking really just to make it through this one and have a full offseason of getting strong and getting really ready for next year,” he said. “It’s very likely I’ll be up at some point this year, but I missed the whole year ... I mangled my arm, and I have work to do. The best place to do it is (Triple-A) Durham for me.”

With Carl Crawford in left field, B.J. Upton and at least Ben Zobrist and Gabe Kapler in right, there wasn’t a spot for Perez in the Rays’ outfield. At Durham, he could have the chacne to play every day and bat against left- and right-handed pitchers. Though a switch-hitter, his career batting average hitting lefty is only .214.

“They’d like it if I was an everyday player, as opposed to a platoon player against lefthanded pitching,” Perez said. “So I have to have better at-bats from the left side to where I’m not striking out as much. That’s kind of the thing that’s standing between me being a platoon kind of a guy that just hits against lefties and occasionally against righties to a guy that plays every day.”

Jaso had little chance of making the club because the Rays have Dioner Navarro and Kelly Shoppach, but he may have positioned himself as the catcher who gets the call if there’s an injury.

For the start of the season, he’ll likely be the everyday catcher at Durham.

“Basically the message (given) to me was, Joe said he sees a totally different catcher than what I showed up as on Day One,” Jaso said. “He says they gave me the opportunity, and I took it, and they’re really happy with that.”

Jaso said he’ll continue to work with Rays bullpen coach Bobby Ramos on a 21-day program that aims to break bad habits through repitition of proper techniques.

“The best part about that grind is (seeing) it pay off, ” Jaso said. “To hear them say there’s that kind of improvement was very reassuring.”

- Tony Fabrizio