Outfielder David Peralta underwent a flexor tendon repair procedure on his left/throwing arm, reports Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. The impending free agent is expected to be throwing and hitting again by March.
Peralta, now 36, was signed by the Dodgers to a one-year deal with a $6.5M guarantee coming into 2023. He carried a career batting line of .281/.339/.457 into the season, which translated to a wRC+ of 110, indicating he had been 10% better than the league average hitter in that time.
He ended up having a down year in 2023, though it’s possible the injury played a part in that. According to Harris, the issue popped up around the All-Star break and Peralta played through it in the second half of the season. The outfielder was hitting .283/.323/.434 for a 106 wRC+ at the break but then produced a diminished line of .231/.259/.319 and 54 wRC+ after.
With his one-year deal with the Dodgers now ending, Peralta is heading back to free agency on the heels of a subpar platform. The injury gives him a plausible explanation for the poor results, though it also creates some uncertainty about the future, as it seems as though he may not be fully healthy by the time Spring Training ramps up in February. Given his age and this procedure, teams may want to wait and see how things develop over the winter before agreeing to a deal for the 2024 season.
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