Star catcher Salvador Perez returns to Royals’ lineup after seeing an eye specialist
Royals catcher Salvador Perez returned to the starting lineup Monday after a late scratch Sunday due to blurred vision in his left eye.
Perez, who missed part of spring training 2.0 with a COVID-19 infection, visited an eye specialist Monday morning and received a favorable enough report to slide back into the lineup batting third for the Royals’ series finale with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
“He was able to meet with the eye specialist this morning,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “They found a little pocket of fluid. There’s a long, complex name for it. But he measured out with 20-15 vision, so he said there’s no risk.
“It’s just something that will cause a little bit of a spot for him. The eye can adapt to it. This thing will dissipate and dry up in time. For right now it will cause a little bit of a blurry spot. It just depends on where that is and how much that affects him.”
Meibrys Viloria, who played 42 games in the majors last year, made his first start of the season Sunday in Perez’s place, though Perez remained involved in the usual pre-game meeting between the starting pitcher and catcher to review the day’s game plan.
Perez explained that he woke up Sunday morning and had trouble seeing out of his eye and became concerned. So he called head athletic trainer Nick Kenney and also talked to bench coach Pedro Grifol.
Once at the ballpark, Perez said he had trouble picking up the speed of the ball in the batting cage. It was even difficult to hit off of a tee.
After seeing a specialist Monday and hitting in the cage before Monday evening’s game, Perez seemed confident and laughed describing the issue as “a little water” in his eye.
“I was hitting today, early,” Perez said. “I was in the cage. I saw some breaking balls. I think I’m good to play. That’s why I’m in the lineup tonight.”
Perez, a five-time Gold Glover who missed last season following Tommy John surgery, has started 17 of the team’s 22 games at catcher this summer. He’s also started once at first base and three times as a designated hitter.
He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Perez said. “Nick told me, ‘I’ve never seen something like that.’ Maybe tomorrow we’ll see a doctor in Kansas City. We don’t know that yet. They tell me it’s going to be some time. They don’t know yet what’s going on. It’s kind of hard, but I’m going to play.”
Perez has a career slash line of .328/.356/.592 at Target Field, with 13 doubles, 17 homers and 47 RBI in 65 games. His 17 homers tie him with Edwin Encarnación for the most by a visiting player, and his .592 slugging percentage ranks first among visitors with a minimum of 200 at-bats.
Perez entered the day among the American League’s leaders in hits (third, 27), batting average (seventh, .314) and total bases (tied for seventh, 45). He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
“If I feel good to play, I’m going to play, “Perez said. “You guys know me, you know how much I love to play and to be at the field with all these guys. Yesterday was hard. It was a really good game. Viloria did a pretty good job behind home plate yesterday too, but it’s was kind of hard for me.”
