KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday afternoon that seven-time All-Star catcher and five-time Gold Glove winner Salvador Perez will have surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.
Perez will be placed on the 10-day injured list at this time. The team stated that Perez is expected to return this season.
Perez left the lineup in Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels after his at bat during the top of the third inning. Perez stayed in for the at bat after a swing on a foul ball during a 3-2 count. He began flexing the thumb multiple times and took three more swings before striking out. The Royals went on to win that game 12-11 in 11 innings.
Salvador Perez will have surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list and is expected to return this season.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) June 24, 2022
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/KNTJZjmva2
The 32-year-old catcher was originally placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb on May 17th. He was activated off the list on May 28th.
Perez has played in 57 games this season with 223 at-bats. He has a .211 batting average with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.
The team will likely turn to Cam Gallagher and MJ Melendez at catcher during Perez's absence. Outfielder Edward Olivares will take Perez's roster spot at this time.
