Miami Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez returned to a big-league mound on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time since Sept. 20, 2023. Pérez, of course, underwent Tommy John surgery and had an internal brace installed in April 2024.

Pérez wound up with the following line during the Marlins' eventual 10-3 loss: 

He did not permit a home run, and 43 of his 70 pitches went for strikes. 

While those aren't optimal results from a run-prevention standpoint -- particularly against one of the worst offenses in Major League Baseball -- there were some bright spots for Pérez. Specifically, he averaged 98.5 mph with his fastball and touched 99.7 mph. He also notched eight swings and misses in his three innings of work. 

Pérez, 22, appeared to be a star on the rise during his initial introduction to the big leagues. In 19 starts, he amassed a 3.15 ERA (149 ERA+) and a 3.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were worth an estimated 2.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations, and he finished seventh in the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year Award voting (the Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll won that year).

Pérez made eight rehab appearances this season, posting a 1.99 ERA and a 2.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Notably, he's shown similar fastball velocity (averaging 97.6 mph and topping out at 99.9 mph) while incorporating some tweaks to his arsenal. Pérez has not only added a sinker, he's also tweaked his curveball so it now more closely resembles a sweeper. He's continued to throw his four-seamer, changeup, and gyro slider.

The Marlins' loss on Monday drops them to 24-40 on the season, which gives them the second-worst record in the NL and the third-worst record in the majors, ahead of just the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies.