Former Mets lefty Oliver Perez activated to Double-A Harrisburg

The Washington Nationals have made a couple of moves worth noting that affect the Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse rosters. Outfielder Jesus Valdez and right-hander Ryan Mattheus have been promoted to Syracuse. Mattheus had a strong run of nine consecutive games without allowing an unearned run snapped May 12 at Richmond. His record is still impressive at 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA as a reliever with the Senators. Valdez has gone 6-for-14 in his last five games and is batting .278 in the past 10 contests. He is a solid outfielder who will provide depth for the Chiefs with the promotion of Roger Bernadina to the Nationals last week. In addition, two pitchers have been added to the Senators roster. Right-hander Ryan Tatusko has been returned to Harrisburg from Syracuse while former Mets left-hander Oliver Perez has been assigned to Harrisburg. This is the first chance Nationals minor league fans will have to see the veteran Perez, who was picked up after being let go in the offseason by the New York Mets. According to prorumors.com, the Mets still owe Perez $12 million. If the Nationals promote Perez, they would be responsible for $400,000 and the Mets' cost would be reduced to $11.6 million. This would be a huge get for the Nationals if Perez has anything left in the tank. It has been a few years since his breakout performances, but his acquisition is a relatively low-risk signing for the Nationals with an outside potential for big rewards. Tatusko did not get a start in Syracuse but has seven starts for Harrisburg so far in 2011.