Royals' Kendall suffers major setback

Veteran catcher Jason Kendall suffered a possible career-ending setback, the Royals announced Thursday, when an examination earlier this week revealed renewed tears in two tendons in his right rotator cuff.

Kendall, 37, is scheduled to undergo surgery next Wednesday in Los Angeles after a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam revealed the new tears.

“That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year,” manager Ned Yost said prior to Thursday’s game against Detroit at Kauffman Stadium. “I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder.”

Kendall underwent the original surgery Sept. 3, 2010 and made encouraging early progress. At one point, he hoped to be ready for the start of the season.

Small setbacks subsequently delayed that timetable, but he departed June 19 for a rehab playing assignment at Surprise in the Arizona Rookie League. Such assignments are typically the final step prior to a return to active duty.

“It got to the point where he was feeling decent,” Yost said, “but he just had no arm speed; no carry on the ball. It felt different. So they went in early in the week to Dr. (Neal) ElAttrache and got another MRI on it.”

ElAttrache is the Dodgers’ team physician, and he performed the original surgery. He said the follow-up surgery will sideline Kendall through the 2013 season.

Yost stopped just short of characterizing it as a career-ending diagnosis.

“They’re going to have to reattach those (tendons) to see if they hold this time,” he said. “They didn’t hold last time. The odds of them holding this time, in a baseball setting, probably aren’t really good.”

Kendall built a reputation as an ironman at the game’s most demanding position throughout a 15-year career that consisted of stops with the Pirates, A’s Cubs and Brewers before signing with the Royals.

His 1,990 starts as a catcher rank fourth in history. Kendall also has a .288 average with 75 homers and 744 RBIs in 2,085 career games and selected three times to the All-Star Game.

“It’s a tough break,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “Jason did everything we needed him to do to try and get back playing. He wanted to fulfill his contract and it just didn’t happen for him.

“But I have a tremendous respect for Jason. He’s got a tremendous baseball mind, and he’s had an unbelievable career.”

Kendall will be a free agent after this season, which concludes a two-year contract he signed with the Royals on Dec. 11, 2009. He batted .256 last season in 118 games before his shoulder forced him to the disabled list.

“He’s a great teammate and a great catcher,” said Brayan Peña, who served last season as Kendall’s backup. “I’m kind of shocked because I knew his rehab assignment was going good, and he was (close to) playing.

“I had a conversation with him in spring training, and he told me he was going to be ready. I saw the way he was working out, and his work ethic was unbelievable.”

The Royals believed, until late spring, that Kendall would be ready to return by mid-May. When that hope faded, they acquired veteran catcher Matt Treanor from Texas as a replacement.

Treanor and Peña have split time this season in the role.

“I can only imagine how he feels,” Treanor said. “Just from his track record as far as being on the field, you know it didn’t sit well with him watching games from the dugout. I can only imagine how he felt when he was watching us play.”

Kendall has long talked about spending time with his two children following the end of his playing career. He previously expressed no interest of remaining in the game as a coach or manager.

If that changes, the Royals are interested.

“A guy like Jason Kendall,” Moore said, “with all his knowledge and passion for the game, we’d certainly be very open-minded about trying to keep him involved.”