Kansas City, MO - Royals catcher Salvador Perez may have to undergo Tommy John surgery after damaging the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm in a workout.
The team is waiting on a second opinion from the Los Angeles Dodgers team physician before making a decision on surgery, that would require a year of rehabilitation.
Losing Perez would be significant for a team that has a young pitching staff. Perez is a leader with six-straight All-Star Game selections. He is known for his ability to handle pitchers and for throwing out 48 percent of base runners who tried to steal on him in 2018.The next catcher on the staff could be Cam Gallagher, 26, who spent most of last season in Omaha.
"They'll have to turn it over to a young kid, but experience is very valuable," said Bob Fescoe, host of Fescoe in the Morning on 610 Sports. "Cam Gallagher can gain a lot of experience, because he gets the opportunity to play. That's a good thing for the Royals overall as an organization."
Perez has 27 home runs and 80 RBI in each of the last two seasons. Prior to the elbow injury, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound catcher was known for his durability, averaging 137 games behind the plate per season since 2013.