Burgess, Relievers Highlight Busy Weekend for Revs Roster

They say things happen in threes.  This time they’re wrong.  In the midst of a first-half pennant race, the York Revolution made five roster moves over the past four days. 

Outfielder Michael Burgess made his return to PeoplesBank Park on Saturday afternoon after a brief stint in the Mexican League, while relief pitchers Jose Arredondo and Manny Corpas are set to make their team debuts on Sunday.  Mark Mason also made a pair of trades to boot, acquiring infielder Darwin Perez from Somerset and outfielder Travis Witherspoon from Lancaster on Thursday. 

Michael Burgess

The left-handed power bat made an immediate splash for the Revs when the team acquired him on May 19.  Burgess hit .300 with three home runs, three doubles, nine runs scored, and 10 RBIs over the eight games he spent in a Revolution uniform.  His performance caught the attention of Monclova of the Mexican League, who signed Burgess just over a week after his first game with York.  Per Atlantic League rules, the Revs are the only league team Burgess could play for after returning from Mexico. 

Burgess knows a thing or two about fighting for playoff positioning.  He hit 15 home runs and drove in 59 over 84 games for Somerset in 2015, helping the Patriots claim the Atlantic League title. 

Jose Arredondo

Signed in the offseason, Arredondo brings four seasons of major league experience to the Revolution bullpen.  The Dominican national went 22-11 with a 3.27 ERA in 214 appearances with the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds from 2008 through 2012.  He missed the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  Arredondo last pitched professionally in the Dominican Winter League in 2014. 

Travis Witherspoon

The Revolution traded left-handed starter Kelvin De La Cruz to Lancaster on Thursday in exchange for outfielder Travis Witherspoon.  In 34 games with the Barnstormers in 2016, the Sumter, S.C. native batted .256 with a pair of home runs, five doubles, two triples, and 13 RBIs.  He has also stolen seven bases in 10 tries, bringing much-needed speed to the York lineup.  Witherspoon has hit 26 triples and stolen 185 bases in his career; his seven swiped bags this season are already the most on the team. 

Witherspoon, 27, originally signed with the Angels in 2009, reaching as high as Double-A Arkansas in 2013.  After spending 2014 in the Seattle system, he signed with the Dodgers in 2015, splitting time between Advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa.  Witherspoon is a career .247 hitter with 108 doubles and 283 RBIs over eight seasons as a pro. 

York is only 2-5 against Lancaster this season, thanks in large part to Witherspoon, who hit .389 with five RBIs in five War of the Roses games. 

Darwin Perez

After the Revs won the series finale against Somerset on Thursday night, Darwin Perez was able to hitch a ride back to York with his new team.  Perez hit .192 in 18 games with the Patriots but also brings speed to the lineup, having stolen six bases without getting caught.  He batted .250 with three RBIs in four games against his new team. 

Perez, 25, is a .250 hitter in eight professional seasons, tallying 90 doubles and 262 RBIs since signing with the Angels in 2007.  He spent his first six seasons in the Los Angeles system, like Witherspoon making it as high as Double-A Arkansas, where Perez and Witherspoon were teammates in 2012.  The Venezuelan national played for Double-A Midland in the Oakland system in 2013. 

Manny Corpas

The Revs signed former major league reliever Manny Corpas on Sunday.  Corpas, 33, spent five seasons in the Colorado Rockies bullpen from 2006-10 and two with the Chicago Cubs in 2012-13.  In seven big-league seasons, Corpas is 13-20 with a 4.14 ERA and 34 saves in 359 appearances. 

Corpas shot to fame as the closer for the 2007 Rockies team that went to the World Series, claiming the ninth inning role in July.  He saved 19 games with a 2.08 ERA that season, including eight in September.  A crucial part of Colorado’s “Rocktober” run, Corpas saved all three games of the NLDS against Philadelphia and two in the NLCS against Arizona, including the National League pennant clincher.  The Rockies won 21 of 22 games on the way to the World Series, and Corpas saved 10 of them. 

Originally signed by the Rockies in 1999, Corpas made his professional debut in 2002.  He last pitched in the Mexican League in 2015, splitting time between Mexico and Oaxaca. 

This new group of five joins the Revs as they try to wrap up a first-half Freedom Division championship and win this weekend’s series against Bridgeport.