Brewers take chance on pitcher Perkins

ST. LOUIS -- The Brewers took a chance on a promising arm Wednesday, and claimed right-handed pitcher Vince Perkins off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Perkins, 24, was rated the Jays' 10th-best prospect this spring by Baseball America.

"He's a power guy with command issues," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "You always hope a guy like that comes around. Danny Kolb and [Derrick] Turnbow were power guys with command issues. We thought [Perkins] was worth the gamble."

The 6-foot-5 Perkins is even more of a gamble because he missed parts of the last two seasons with various injuries, and he is currently sidelined with forearm and elbow issues, according to Melvin. The Brewers sent Perkins to Phoenix for a physical and hope to assign him soon to the bullpen at Double-A Huntsville.

"We might have to put him on our DL for 10 days or so," Melvin said.

Perkins was 7-7 with a 4.03 ERA for Double-A New Hampshire in 2005. Twenty-four of his 26 appearances were starts, but Melvin said the Brewers plan to use him as a reliever, a move reportedly also mulled by Toronto officials.

The Blue Jays selected Perkins in the 18th round of the 2000 First-Year Player draft, when current Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash was Toronto's GM.

With Perkins, the Brewers' 40-man roster is full.