September callup Perez shows off wheels

ATLANTA -- Before giving way to Yefri Pérez on the bases in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, Justin Bour offered first baseman Freddie Freeman some unsolicited advice: Don't play behind the base.
It was nothing Freeman didn't already know, but Perez indeed turned on the burners and stole second. With two outs, he raced home on a wild pitch that provided a big boost in the Marlins' 7-5 victory over the Braves at Turner Field.
"The Yefri run was big to give us a little bit of a cushion," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
With their National League Wild Card chances dwindling, the Marlins are looking for any jolt they can get. Perez, a September callup from Double-A Jacksonville, is on the roster for one reason only -- to pinch-run. He brings excitement and energy, and he helped manufacture a crucial run.
Actually, Perez can't do anything else besides run because he had surgery on his left thumb a few months ago and just now is doing fielding and hitting drills. But his legs are fresh, and they came in handy on Tuesday.
Bour was issued a walk by Chris Withrow to lead off the eighth after the Braves closed the gap to 6-5 in the seventh. Perez entered for Bour, and his legs did the rest. He stole second before Withrow hit J.T. Realmuto with a pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Adeiny Hechavarría advanced both runners, and Withrow nearly got out of the jam by striking out Jeff Francoeur.
With Dee Strange-Gordon up, Withrow bounced a pitch that kicked just far enough away from catcher Tyler Flowers, and Perez dashed to the plate, scoring on a head-first slide.
According to Statcast™, Perez's top speed in the dash reached 20.5 mph, the third-fastest time he has been clocked at this season.
"I was ready, watching the ball, trying to figure out the ball in the dirt," Perez said. "I see the ball, I took a good read. It gave me a chance to score, and I did."
Perez went inside the line to avoid Flowers' tag attempt.
"That was the only way to figure out my spot to slide because I couldn't go straight and maybe hit the catcher," Perez said. "They gave me a spot, and I made the play."
Perez's big league future projects as a super utility player. He can play outfield and infield, plus he is a switch-hitter. He's a similar-style player as Emilio Bonifácio, who was with the Marlins from 2009-12.
"He's a kid that really works hard and just keeps getting better," Mattingly said. "He's a kid in A-ball last year to all of a sudden he's on the big league radar, and right now it's for speed. But we think he works so hard and has such a good attitude. He can play infield/outfield. He's kind of in that Bonifacio mold as a guy that can fly and play multiple positions. We think he's going to be an exciting player for us in the years to come."