IL St. Paul Saints

Pitcher Ben Heller, Infielder Mikey Perez, and Catcher Frank Nigro All Transferred to St. Paul

August 2, 2022 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


OMAHA, NE - On trade deadline say, the Minnesota Twins transferred three players to the St. Paul Saints. Pitcher Ben Heller, who was signed as a free agent in July 14 and was getting stretched out with the FCL Twins, infielder Mikey Perez, who was playing with Low-A Fort Myers, and catcher Frank Nigro, who was transferred to the Saints on July 2 but never played in a game and was with the FCL Twins, were all transferred to the St. Paul Saints.

The 30-year-old Heller last pitched in 2020 for the New York Yankees where he went 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in six games. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on September 22 due to a right bicep nerve injury. Heller was released by the Yankees and signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in February, but was released in April. He did not pitch in 2021. While with the FCL Twin this season, Heller was 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in four appearances (two starts). In 7.0 innings he walked seven and struck out six while opponents hit .192 against him.

Heller was a 22nd round pick by Cleveland in 2013 out of Olivet Nazarene (IL) University. He was in the Cleveland system from 2013 until a trade sent him to the Yankees on July 31, 2016. He was traded to the Yankees along with outfielder Clint Frazier, left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, and right-handed pitcher J.P. Feyereisen in exchange for left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller.

In his career, Heller is 2-0 with a 2.59 ERA in 31 Major League relief appearances. In 31.1 innings pitched he has walked 15 and struck out 30 while opponents hit .231 against him.

The 22-year-old Perez was selected by the Twins in the 15th round of the 2021 draft out of UCLA. While with Low-A Fort Myers this year he was hitting .225 with eight home runs and 37 RBI in 81 games. He is slashing .225/.329/.403. Last season he played nine of his 10 games at Fort Myers and went 13-26 (.500) with a home run and two RBI.

The 25-year-old Nigro returns to the Saints after his brief transfer on July 2 before being transferred to Double-A Wichita on July 6. He is hitting .167 with one RBI in 13 games between the FCL Twins (five games), Low-A Fort Myers (four games), and High-A Cedar Rapids (four games).

There were additional moves made by the Twins that affected the Saints roster. Infielder Spencer Steer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Right-handed pitcher Yennier Cano was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. Right-handed pitcher Ian Hamilton was traded to the Cleveland Guardians. Outfielder Jake Cave had his contract selected by the Minnesota Twins. The Saints roster stands at 27, six below the league maximum, with 16 pitchers and 11 position players.

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International League Stories from August 2, 2022


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