Royals star catcher Salvador Perez sidelined by positive COVID-19 test result
The Kansas City Royals will be without star catcher Salvador Perez for at least the first week of spring training 2.0 workouts due to him having been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The Royals announced Perez’s positive test result on Saturday during the team’s second day of organized workouts at Kauffman Stadium. MLB teams resumed spring training at their home ballparks on Friday, more than three months after the coronavirus global pandemic forced the shutdown of spring training camps in Arizona and Florida.
Perez will not participate in practices or workouts with the team until he’s had two consecutive negative tests, per MLB’s health and safety protocols. Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Perez likely wouldn’t be retested until 5-7 days after his positive test.
“I don’t feel anything,” an optimistic and boisterous Perez said in a video conference call with reporters. “I’m in my home right now. Nobody in my family is positive. Everybody is negative. Everybody took the test two days ago and yesterday too. … I think we’re going to be a great team this season, and I can’t wait to be back.”
Perez, a fan favorite and MVP of the 2015 World Series, remains asymptomatic and will stay in isolation in Lee’s Summit until he’s been medically cleared. Perez urged fans to wear masks and stay safe.
He said he’s not sure how he got the virus, but since leaving the Royals’ spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona, Perez has been working out in Miami, Florida, both at home and with Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol and minor-league hitting instructor Mike Tosar.
Florida has turned into one of the “hot spots” for the spread of the virus. The state reported 11,458 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, setting a new record for daily reported cases according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Perez, 30, will continue to workout on his own until he is cleared to join the team.
“I can do everything,” Perez said. “I’ve got some (baseballs). Pedro and (Sr. Director-Team Travel/Clubhouse Operations) Jeff Davenport and the trainers sent me some stuff to workout in my house. I (hit off the) tee. I throw. I’m keeping my body active and just wait until I test negative a couple times and join the team.”
A six-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, Perez has been anxious to make his return to the field for the Royals. He missed the entire last season and spent the past year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in March 2019.
Perez’s 127 career home runs as a catcher are the fourth-most in the majors since his debut in 2011, and his 744 starts at catcher since 2013 are third most in the majors, behind only Yadier Molina (871) and Jonathan Lucroy (769).
Perez said when he got the initial results, he was saddened by the news. However, he said he’d rather it come now as opposed to when the season was starting or in the middle of this year’s truncated 60-game slate.
“You never want to have any of your players miss any time,” Moore said. “You don’t want them to miss a bullpen session. You don’t want them to miss a (batting practice) session, certainly not a spring training practice or game or regular-season game. But if it’s going to occur — which we all know that’s part of the game — we’d rather have it now obviously.”
Moore also pointed out that the organization has had individuals test positive for antibodies, a fact he took as a sign of encouragement. He also said he felt MLB has served as a positive example in how they’ve managed through the pandemic.
All Royals players were asymptomatic as of Saturday, according to Moore though he did not discuss whether or not any other players had tested positive.
As far as Perez’s progression when he is able to return, Royals manager Mike Matheny said, “A lot of it is going to come down to how much work he’s able to do. It’s all going to be on how he feels, the direction the medical team gives. If he’s able to stay sharp, that’s going to directly impact how much we’ll be able to give him.”
Matheny also revealed that he caught the virus about a month ago and he did experience symptoms. Matheny and his wife quarantine, and he’s now fine and has tested positive for antibodies. He’s hoping he’ll be able to donate plasma at some point to help with COVID-19 research and treatment.
This story was originally published July 4, 2020 at 12:37 PM.
