March 15: Both MRIs conducted on Perez’s knee have come back clean, per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (Twitter links). Perez will be sidelined for about a week nonetheless, however, due to a hyperextended left elbow that he sustained in the collision. While taking more than a week off of games isn’t ideal, the fact that Perez’s knee is just fine and the minor elbow injury occurred in his non-throwing arm are both positive outcomes from an initially frightening situation.
March 12: In a best-case scenario, Perez will be able to return in a week, general manager Dayton Moore told Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The Royals will have more information after Perez undergoes a second MRI on Monday, though manager Ned Yost is optimistic.
“He’s going to be OK, we think,” Yost said (via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star). “He’ll be all right. They checked him out yesterday, Pedro (Grifol, the Royals catching coach) was on the phone most of the night, and so was Nick (Kenney, the Royals’ head trainer), talking to the (Venezuela) GM, talking to the trainers, and talking to Salvy himself.”
Perez “feels much better,” Yost added.
March 11, 10:01pm: The Royals can breathe a sigh of relief: Perez only has inflammation, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag (Twitter link).
7:44pm: Perez has informed the Royals that the injury isn’t severe, per Rivera.
7:28pm: Perez has suffered a left knee injury and will undergo further testing, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
7:17pm: In what might lead to nightmarish news for the Royals, catcher Salvador Perez departed Saturday’s World Baseball Classic matchup between Venezuela and Italy with a potentially major injury to his left knee. Italy’s catcher, Drew Butera, collided with Perez on a play at the plate, and Perez was then unable to put any weight on his leg. He had to be carried into the clubhouse as a result, reports Marly Rivera of ESPN (Twitter link).
Although Perez and Butera were on opposite sides Saturday, they’re teammates in Kansas City. Butera is the backup to Perez, who has been among the majors’ most durable catchers since 2013, his first full season in the majors. Perez has appeared in between 138 and 150 regular-season games in each of his four full years, and he made the American League All-Star team in all of those campaigns. Along the way, he has helped the Royals to a pair of World Series berths, including a championship in 2015, while slashing a useful .272/.302/.432 with 87 home runs in 2,694 lifetime plate appearances. While Perez is not a well-regarded pitch framer, he has accounted for a catcher-leading 39 Defensive Runs Saved over the past four years. He’s also coming off a year in which he threw out a league-best 48 percent of would-be base-stealers.
Given his track record, it’s likely losing Perez for a significant period of time would cause notable damage to the Royals’ hopes of returning to the playoffs this year after a disappointing 2016. Behind Perez, the club’s top backstop options are three far less accomplished players in Butera, Brayan Pena and Cam Gallagher.
Butera wanted Perez’s starting position lol
Exactly
Lol
This is the last thing KC needed, I hope Salvy is aright
Am I the only one who thinks it is beyond crazy that MLB allows its players to participate in this senseless exhibition? The Pirates have 5 regulars who are not only missing valuable prep time for the regular season; their entire outfield is adjusting to different positions, while Cervelli, Marte, and Harrison all spent time on the disabled list in 2016. Polanco missed time, and McCutchen had the worst season of his career. In addition to these 5, Nova is part of the pitchers pool. We Pirates fans are holding our breath that nobody gets hurt (Marte already missed time with a twisted ankle) while management watches half its payroll risk needless injury. Here’s another “gift” from the “legendary” Bud Selig, who created a new definition for “classic.”
Maybe Roger Goodell will push to allow Super Bowl participants to play in the NFL’s “World Pro Bowl Classic” the week before the championship game.
do you really believe these players are getting more prep by playing AAAA guys for 6 innings as opposed to playing all stars from all over the world? if they couldn’t fix their mechanics in 5 months of personalized training, their not fixing anything in ST.
In ST they may have more access to coaches and players. Everyone is at ST.
Yesterday 15 players got injured in st. Injuries happen everywhere
Bas: They do. But at least in ST they are working with people who pay them and whom they will spend the summer trying to get to and win the WORLD SERIES, not some who-cares title. And it’s “they’re,” not” their”!!
Trespada: if these are “all-stars from all over the world, why aren’t they all signing with MLB clubs?
Jam: they are from MLB clubs, just look at the teams, nelson cruz, Arenado, Lindor, Kinsler, Bogaerts, gregorious, Oh, Machado, Correa. A Gon, Car Go, Altuve, Cabrera, Stanton, etc. these guys are all stars playing for national pride which is probably more competitive than playing vets trying to get the 25th spot on a roster.
Pretty much everybody you listed comes from a couple teams… The only ones with all-star level talent across the board are USA, DR, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico (and a couple of those teams aren’t making it out of this round). Outside of that, it’s a couple good players on teams (at most) mixed in with a bunch of AA/AAA level talent.
the Netherlands probably has more all star talent than mexico. but the point is these games, where people are actually trying are better for prep than random ST games that include guys who barely get 20 ABs in the majors,
You’re right, I added Mexico by mistake. I was looking at them and Venezuela at the same time and mixed up a couple players. That being said, neither Mexico nor Netherlands have more than one or two all-star caliber players. Netherlands has a couple ok MLB players after Boegarts (Didi, Profar, Simmons, and Schoop), but outside of that, it’s pretty garbage. The guys getting barely 20 ABs in the majors are better than the heavy majority of players playing in the WBC.
for now yes, but each year the competition has gotten more competitive, so as the event grows the game internationally, more countries will be able to field competitive teams. which is the whole point, so for now its Venezuela. PR, DR, USA Japan and maybe mexico or the netherlands if they get hot, but maybe in 10 years Korea and Colombia who both have huge baseball growth now will be competitive and so on and so on till this is THE stage to watch top quality baseball being played, like in the FIFA world cup
How can you always call it the World Series if it is just the American competition. I personally think the WBC is more of a World Series than the MLB
It’s an honor and a privilege to play with your countrymen and represent your country. This is a once in a lifetime experience and dream come true for these guys. Plus a lot of them get to play with guys they grew up playing baseball with or players they idolized growing up. I played baseball up through college at the D1 level and if I was ever asked to represent my country at that level no questions asked I’m doing it. Spring training or WBC I’m still playing the same sport and risk of injury is there. They have the same quality training staff there as a spring training facility does.
“Am I the only one who thinks it is beyond crazy … The Pirates have 5 regulars who are not only missing valuable prep time for the regular season…”
Possibly.
If I were a Pirate fan, I would be a bit excited that 5 guys who do not need the ST training with the team are not going to be taking ST playing time away from guys who most definitely do.
Guys who know what they are doing already still get the workout by playing WBC games, but the team gets to spend more time working on other players. That’s a win-win.
Don’t any of you understand there is a purpose to spring training. And it’s not to send MLB stars out to play in games that have absolutely no benefit to their MLB’s teams. Your logic would suggest that teams just tell their players to go find a team somewhere and we’ll see you in April. But if Perez is lost for any significant time, KC’s chances for the post-season are probably shot. Worst case scenario is devastating. Best case scenario is a WBC championship. Wow! (Use appropriate sarcastic tone.) Sorry, but no way is playing worth the risk to people I want to see on the field this summer.
If you people don’t get that, I’m sorry.
do you even realize how selfish you sound? you want to watch your players so no one else gets to enjoy what they want to watch? I bet you there are millions of people who want to see there teams play these games, so how are they any less valid than you wanting to watch your team?
It has nothing to do with wanting to see your players play. It’s the simple fact that the MLB teams are paying these players VERY handsomely to play for their organizations. They aren’t paying them to represent their country’s in the World Baseball Classic. If push ever comes to shove, I can guarantee you that 99.9% of the MLB players playing in the WBC will happily put their “national pride” aside for their livelihoods. If you don’t believe that, you’re completely delusional.
it has everything to do with that. MLB negotiated the WBC way back when and accepted that their players can play in these games, thats why we don’t play the baseball world cup anymore. the ones doing the most complaining are the US fans. These players aren’t gonna give up their money, but the number of stars show they have interest in playing, and the attendance and Ratings show that there are fans willing to watch, so why should they be deprived of that? the biggest complaint is injury, but you have the same chance of getting injured in ST, I’ve heard people say its meaningless, but its not there is a prize, there is an organization, there are dedicated fans and players, its just as valid as the MLB, and just because some people don’t care does not make it meaningless.
I like watching Team USA. I can watch them play over the summer too. Win win for me I guess.
They are playing competitive games in the WBC. That’s way more valuable than the low level of play in Spring Training.
ST is basically a relic of a long-ago era when baseball players weren’t year-round pro athletes. It was designed to get guys back into baseball shape after a winter spent working in a mill or factory or whatever. Most players will tell you it’s way too long, they keep themselves in shape all year because this is their full-time job. Maybe a handful of rookies have something to play for is ST but for any player with service time it’s mostly pointless.
The WBC is incredibly prestigious – the size and passion of the crowds bears this out. Watching those games in Miami this weekend was like watching game 7 of the WS last year. It’s been awesome. Baseball doesn’t really get better than that.
Tim Tebow is playing spring training games. That’s pretty much all you need to know about the importance of ST. Do you really think Rick Porcello was really honing his craft by striking out Touchdown Jesus on three 88 MPH fastballs?
Well played Tim Tebow reference. Point you!
Tebow is only playing ST games because of the WBC though.
Playing in competitive games can be beneficial but so can staying with your team, building up the chemistry and getting use to each other. Baseball is a different game now than it use to be, I’ll agree on that. Now a days players will practice in the offseason so they’re ready to jump right back into it. ST is too long IMO but still needed. You can’t just show up for game 1 of the season and expect things to go smoothly.
ST is not only used to get players back into the groove, but it’s also a time to get them looks at different positions, figure out your lineup, work on pitchers pitches and take a look at their prospects that they think might be ready during the year. Or, needed if someone gets injured.
Well David, I have to ask…..Do you know WHY Tebow is playing in ST games? (hint – it’s because MLB players for the Mets went off to the WBC so why not give him a shot because of his name recognition). Michael Jordan also playing in ST games and other celebs have as well. Putting a player like that in the “spotlight” will help them figure out if they’re a bust or not. I guess you don’t understand how baseball works so I’m wasting my time……
BTW, most pitchers aren’t going 100% during ST. They’re working on things such as mechanics, aim, new pitches etc. You’re not going to see any MLB pitchers go all out so less chance they get hurt, but it can and will still happen.
WBC really is pointless. When you have American born teams “eligible” to play for other countries because their great great grandfather is from there, then it turns into a marketing deal instead of a “serious” competition. So while you think it’s “prestigious” it’s really just a bunch of guys that get citizenship in another country so they can play for that team. Israel…..how many players were born there? 1……..How many have visited? not even half the team lol
So, you’re right, it’s the most prestigious thing in the world *eye roll*
First of all, it’s not a “senseless exhibition game”, it’s the world classic. Secondly, it could had happened in a spring training game…
I like the WBC. And its not a “who cares” title. At least the players are still playing baseball not sitting on their couch or something. And at the same time, other players get time in ST game action who havent really gotten MLB looks.
oh boy
Not good at all. That’s a sound heard as far as Washington–Norris is very available.
Atlanta would probably entertain trading flowers after picking up Suzuki, Derek Norris, Hector Sanchez is having a nice spring training so far for the Padres and with Hedges, Bethancourt and rule 5 pick up Torrrens, his chances look slim to get much playing time this year.
Dayton Moore is probably sick to his stomach right now. Probably texting Jim Leyland to pull Hosmer out as soon as the game is out of hand lol
My thoughts exactly(it’s a joke but it might be the truth if this Injury turns out to be bad) I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the Royals cut him for injuring their star catcher
That’s just a stupid comment. They aren’t going to cut Butera because of a baseball related injury. And it’s a stupid comment to say that Butera did it on purpose.
You’re clueless!
That’s one way to steal the starting job from someone, aye yi yi. This world baseball classic is awesome and it’s fun to see the intensity that these guys play with in these games, I hope a possible injury doesn’t lean teams towards not letting their guys play in the WBC in the future. Hopefully it’s a fluke and Salvy is okay, for his sake and the sake of the WBC.
I think teams were already leaning in that direction because of this exact reason. If this ends up being a serious injury (hopefully it’s not), it will not be a good look for the WBC, unfortunately.
Yeah unfortunately because this thing is exciting to watch. I mean I’m on the edge of my seat, it feels like a post season game. The Miami crowd is fired up and the intensity and character the teams play with is cool to see. Marcus Strohman was absolutely FiLTHY today, God he is good when he is loose out there and has fun, pitches with a ton of confidence.
Do yourself a favor. Go outside, Live life. Stop staring at the TV like a zombie.
Do yourself a favor. Go Play in traffic in ALL black clothing
Just stop. Childish comment.
oh you don’t watch baseball games but you go on this site? stop it
Making fun of a guy for watching baseball on a site that is 100% about baseball….
Do yourself a favor, go outside and live life. Stop trolling from website to website looking for someone to attempt to bring down.
Rocketride do yourself a favor and go cry to your mommy
Rocket, do yourself a favor. Go outside, Live life. Stop commenting on MLBrumors like a zombie.
Pollock injured took himself out for most of the year last year by sliding into home in ST. the year before Stroman tore his Achilles tendon doing drills, last year Eduardo Rodriguez hurt his knee shagging fly balls, and Bauer injured himself playing with a remote controlled drone during the playoffs, you can’t wrap players in bubble wrap to protect them from the universe. also the WBC doesn’t have more injuries than ST so I fail to see how its a bad look for the WBC.
Because there’s a gigantic difference between getting hurt while playing for your employer and getting hurt playing in an exhibition game that means literally nothing to the people that are paying your contract… It’s simply not worth the risk for teams (if they have a choice).
I don’t think the teams do have a choice though, do they?
Not that I know of currently…
I’m sure if they were THAT against it, they could probably work something into a player’s contract or just pressure them into making the “right” decision for the team.
it technically doesn’t mean nothing, because MLB gets 52% of revenue which is spread through the teams, also an opportunity to get many players in one place for your scouts. so not nothing, it just means very little.
“it technically doesn’t mean nothing”
Does that mean it technically means something?
yes, at least if I’m correct about what a double negative implies.
It’s obviously a huge deal to the players playing in the WBC and the fans of the WBC. Look at the size of the crowds in Miami – record attendance in Marlins park and the atmosphere was electric. Obviously, any athletic endeavor carries inherent risks, way more players get hurt in ST and the regular season than get hurt in the very short WBC tournament, which also has hard pitch counts.
If Perez is hurt for a bit it might be a blessing in disguise for KC, as they will finally be forced to develop or acquire a legit backup catcher to shoulder some of the unrealistic load they place on Perez. He wears down so badly in the second half every season but the Royals keep running him out there more than any other catcher in baseball.
Can’t wait to see how Miller is going to look. I’m feeling a little Pedro Martinez-esq outing in the 1999 All-Star game how he just mowed down every National league power hitter in the game one 3 pitches. Larkin, Sosa, McGwire, Larry Walker, Bagwell.
Haha turned out a little differently.
Couldn’t have been any further off lol
Or not
I think the Yankees might trade Romine who is one of the better backups and can hit pretty well for catcher. He also has 4 years of control and is quite cheap.
Thats one way to try and get a starting gig lol.
It doesn’t have to be permanent. They just need a capable player. They don’t have much to trade with.
Butera either played himself or just got the stating C job
Drew actually probably caused the injury by trying to pull up and not collide with him. Hard to know what to do in that situation. I feel for poor Drew, he feels terrible right now.
No see the sad thing was he didn’t cause the injury. Should he have gone probably not. But he was trying to win the game. The problem was the toss caused the injury. It’s hard though to blame KRod though as he was injured on the play. Butera made a bad decision to go but it was clear he tried to pull up. Issue was you can’t go full speed and stop.
Romine for Staumont or Almonte
Inside job
Inflammation can be masking something beneath. I was watching the game, and his knee bent backwards. It didn’t look minor.
Have to believe it’s a 6 to 8 week thing, minimum….either that or Salvy has some wicked flex in his knee.
Oh, and one more thing…..John Heyman is not a doctor.
Jon Heyman also isn’t the one who diagnosed him, so…
“Initial diagnosis for Salvy suggests just inflammation. “He should be ok.” #royals” Jon Heyman 7:57 PM – 11 Mar 2017
He doesn’t say where he got that information from, what type of diagnosis it was or who it was done by, nor to whom it suggests it is just inflammation. Does it just “suggest” it to Heyman?
All his tweet really tells us is he was told “He should be ok” by an unknown someone and the rest is completely unclear. It’s bad journalism
Well it does say the type of diagnosis. Inflammation. Next time try to read what you cut and paste. It was obviously done by the training staff of the team. Why does he need to mention the actual name of the trainer or doctor.
Excellent Journalism
Huh? It doesn’t say the diagnosis is inflammation. Again, he says it “suggests” Inflammation, but he doesn’t say who it suggests it to. It is specifically written like it could just suggest it to him (Heyman)
I not only read it, I outlined exactly why it was such a horribly written tweet telling us absolutely nothing at all other than unknown possibilities. The Diagnosis could be from Salvy himself, the assumption it’s Inflammation could just be Heymans personal opinion and the “should be ok” could be from Salvys mom for all we know. He told us nothing.
Its pure s$6% journalism at its absolute finest.
Wait a minute. You’re expecting in-depth journalism from a tweet? I think you misunderstand what Twitter is for.
Twitter /=/ journalism. Do you really think Heyman is getting this info from some random dude?
We know Heyman is not a doctor moron. But you do not know that Heyman perhaps is getting information from trainers and doctors dumb ass
And neither do you. So were back to even…….except I won’t sink to calling you names.
Edit: “we’re”
Chas Vallet? Parker Morin? Also in System who can fill in to.
To young, if this was a long term thing, it would be a Pena/Butera platoon with even splits in playing time. I could see Gallagher instead of Pena, but Brayan has more experience.
For anyone hyping WBC attendance, the Israel- Chinese Tapei game looked like it ha 1000 fans attending. The WBC is a colossal waste of time, it has no tradition, and the best players aren’t involved. And you can’t say the injuries would have occurred in ST, that’s pure speculation.
This meaningless exhibition isn’t worth affecting the season of any MLB team. It lacks the timing and tradition of the Olympics and World Cup. Next season, I’m hoping more MLB players skip this tournament, the MLB season should be the only priority.
I guarantee you that not a single player will play in the WBC next season.
You don’t even know it isn’t played every year, do you?
of course it doesn’t have the tradition of the olympics its only been going for like 11 years! by your logic we never should have had the All star game or the WS because it needed to be started.
As you typed this, Ian Desmond, who the Rockies just dropped 70 million on, had his hand broken in a WBC game…oh, wait. It was actually a spring training game.
You mean he got hurt during a team activity – something that he got paid $70 million to do? Not during an exhibition game that doesn’t have any effect on the team he’s being paid by? The fact that you can’t tell the difference between those two situations is pretty unbelievable.
Far more players have been injured during ST this season than during the WBC. But for whatever reason people freak out about the WBC and it’s possibility of injury.
AJ Pollock, who missed all of last season after a Spring Training injury, just got hurt again after hitting a homer in the WB….oops. I mean in Spring Training.
Priggs, lets suss this out then. Desmond got hit by a fastball up and in from a wild double-A pitcher who isn’t probably going to make the majors this year. If Desmond was playing in the classic he wouldn’t be facing pitchers like that – no way a guy like Rookie Davis makes a team – and Desmond might not have a broken hand. The competition is better , the stakes are higher (the players on the winning team in the WBC get around 100 grand each). And there is nothing more irrelevant and meaningless than a Spring Training game. Tim Tebow plays in these games. Garth brooks got 22 spring training at bats one year. Will Ferrell played in a spring training game.
What. How can it be a ST game when all the morons say injuries only happen in the WBC. Good post
Can you imagine if Cuba let there defectors play?! That would add another Dominicana caliber team maybe stronger! My only small complaint about WBC is seems like Japan’s starting pool has no other tough teams…it almost feels like Pool A and B were part of a different tournament (atmosphere and quality play). LOVE WBC and baseball period
Perez injured by his backup? I smell a rat… 🙂
Does anyone see the smiley face at the end of my comment, or just a teal box like I do. Just to be clear, I don’t suspect Butera of intent.
Great point @Davidcoonce74
I personally love the WBC and wish every team would be as competitive/ serious about playing as Dominicans, Venezuelans, and PR
The problem is that the other teams, outside of the US, don’t have the talent to compete with the Dominicans, Venezuelans, and PR if all are “serious” about playing.
well I mean Japan has won it twice when everyone was playing it seriously so….
It does not show a smily face
I feel like there really hasn’t been any large injuries during (WBC)…I remember a Dutch OF (maybe Andruw Jones?) pulled his groin in the 13′ pool play. Has this been the largest injury/scare?
The only one I remember was Mark Teixeira in 2013 I believe. Hurt his wrist prepping for the WBC and played in only 15 games for the Yanks that season
Conspiracy theory: He injured Perez on purpose to get more playing time.
Yost would run Sal out there anyway