2 min read • June 24, 2022
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The Royals announced that all-star catcher Salvador Perez underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb after aggravating the injury earlier this week.
Perez will head to the 10-day IL once again and manager Mike Matheney said that the initial recovery is set at eight weeks, opening up the possibility he will be transferred to the 60-day IL.
The ProBaseballDocs concur with the eight-week timeline and would lean towards Perez beating that mark.
Because of the location of the injury Perez will likely struggle initially to find success at the plate and will slowly ease back into his power bat.
He suffered both thumb injuries on big, errant swings, as the motion puts undue stress on the ligament.
He will, however, be able to return as a catcher with few limitations and slot back into his spot behind the plate. Perez has split time this season between catcher and DH but has declined over time as a defensive catcher.
Perez initially suffered a thumb sprain on May 17 and spent 10 days on the IL.
The 32-year-old appeared to worsen the injury on a big swing on Tuesday afternoon but stayed in to finish the at-bat after a visit with trainers, caught in the video below.
The Royals said they expect Perez to return this season, although it is unclear when that will be or whether he will go back behind the plate.
The Kansas City lifer is batting .211 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and 34 RBI in 223 at-bats this season.
Rookie catcher MJ Melendez turned a nice stretch replacing Perez in May into a role in the lineup, posting a .754 OPS with six home runs, seven doubles, 17 RBI while showing impressive plate discipline in 145 at-bats.
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