Kansas City Royals facing major loss with Salvador Perez

The potential loss of Salvador Perez for the Kansas City Royals goes beyond what he means on the diamond.

The Kansas City Royals have been cautious with Salvador Perez this offseason. He had been shut down earlier due to a flexor strain, as the Royals were understandably cautious with their prized catcher. Ideally, this would keep Perez healthy through Spring Training, leaving him ready for Opening Day.

Instead, the worst possible result has happened. Perez has been diagnosed with damage to his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, with Tommy John surgery being recommended. While he will travel to get a second opinion, chances are Perez will be lost for the year.

If that is indeed the case, it is a substantial blow to the Royals hopes for the 2019 campaign. Perez was likely to be the Royals cleanup hitter for the coming season, one of the few actual power threats in the lineup. Likewise, his excellent defense and strong throwing arm will be sorely missed defensively.

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Perez had, for him, a relatively down year with the bat last season. While he tied his career high with 27 homers, he produced a .235/.274/.442 batting line, drawing only 17 walks while striking out 108 times in 544 plate appearances. His 92 OPS+ was his fourth below average season, even though he did make his sixth consecutive All Star appearance and won the Silver Slugger award for catchers.

Yet, it is Perez’ defense that the Royals will truly miss. A five time Gold Glove winner, Perez led American League catchers with seven runs saved last year, while gunning down 48% of would be basestealers. Only 52 players even attempted to steal against Perez, as he shut down the running game by being in the lineup.

With the injury coming this late in the preseason, Perez would miss the entirety of the 2019 campaign if he does go under the knife. However, he would have all offseason to recuperate, presumably coming back just as strong as before. With Kansas City looking forward another year or two before expecting to compete, a healthy Perez would go a long way towards making that goal a reality.

The Kansas City Royals have likely lost All Star catcher Salvador Perez for the 2019 campaign. Hopefully, he can get healthy, and return to form for the 2020 season.