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Salvador Perez's Elbow Exit Deepens the Royals' Latest Loss
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- Salvador Perez's Elbow Exit Deepens the Royals' Latest Loss
Salvador Perez's Elbow Exit Deepens the Royals' Latest Loss
(Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
Salvador Perez's right elbow became the Royals' biggest concern of the night before their 4-2 loss to the Dodgers was over.
The veteran catcher left in the sixth inning after aggravating the same elbow that kept him out of the lineup for two games in early July.
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Kansas City had already lost the first two games in Los Angeles, and Perez's exit added a harder question to the end of a winless series.
The Royals can replace him behind the plate for a few days, though the lineup has fewer ways to handle another absence from its captain.
The Same Elbow
Perez had been hit by a pitch earlier in Wednesday's game before leaving with the aggravation.
Quatraro connected it to the same issue Kansas City managed earlier this summer when he said, "It's very similar to what he had, you know, when we started not catching him as much, probably six weeks, two months ago, whatever it was, just flared up on him a little bit today."
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Kansas City has seen this problem before, and the team reduced Perez's catching work during the earlier flare-up.
Another problem with the same elbow should still lead to a careful plan because Perez has spent years catching through smaller injuries, and the club needs to learn whether he can grip the bat and throw without changing his motion.
His season has already included a difficult stretch that raised questions about his place in the lineup .
Perez later broke the franchise home run record, yet the elbow may force the club to use him at designated hitter more often if he can swing before he can catch.
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Kansas City Has Little Room
The Royals scored twice Wednesday, with Josh Rojas and Perez delivering RBI singles.
Rojas has given the team several useful at-bats since his first big hit with Kansas City , but the order still depends on Perez to punish mistakes behind Bobby Witt Jr.
Perez holds the club's career home run record , and replacing that production would take changes across the lineup.
Carter Jensen can catch regularly, which would protect the defense, while another hitter would have to cover the lost power.
Jensen has already handled regular work at catcher and designated hitter , which gives the Royals a stable defensive plan.
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The harder choice is who bats in Perez's usual spot if he misses more than a game or two.
The offense has shown that it can win with late contact, including a road series victory built around a ninth-inning rally .
It has struggled to create that pressure often enough, and losing Perez would make the middle of the order easier to work around.
The Next Update
Kansas City should have a better idea after Perez is examined away from the game.
His career workload makes rest useful even if the aggravation is minor, especially with the season already asking so much from an older catcher.
The Royals have to decide whether a short break can settle the elbow or whether the injured list gives him a better chance to finish the year healthy.
Jensen can cover the catching duties, but Perez's bat and presence leave a larger hole than one lineup change can solve.
