Perez cleared outright waivers Thursday and elected free agency, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Perez was cast off the Nationals' 40-man roster Tuesday after he hit .053 with 10 strikeouts in 19 at-bats to begin the season. Rather than accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester, the 30-year-old will now be free to sign elsewhere as a free agent.