The Rangers informed Perez on Thursday that they intend to exercise his $6 million club option for 2018, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.
Perez, who is due to make his final start of the season Friday against the Athletics, has submitted a 12-12 record, 4.83 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 113 strikeouts over 179 innings. While those numbers don't move the needle much from a fantasy perspective, the lefty has brought value to the Rangers the last two seasons simply by being a capable innings eater. Since $6 million is a relative pittance for a proven back-end starter, it was likely an easy decision for the Rangers to pick up his option. Perez's contract also includes $7.5 million and $9 million options for 2019 and 2020, respectively.