KC Royals send Heasley, Lynch on rehab assignments and Sal Perez moves closer to return
The Kansas City Royals will have to fill in a hole in their starting rotation this week, but they could have reinforcements on the way in the form of a starting pitcher and a big bat in the middle of their lineup.
The Royals have not named a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Left-hander Kris Bubic got the starting assignment in Sunday’s series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays, and veteran right-hander Zack Greinke will start on Monday in the opener with the Angels.
However, the Royals sent right-hander Jonathan Heasley on a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. Heasley went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder tendinitis on July 10.
Right behind Heasley, Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch will begin a rehab assignment with Omaha on Monday. Lynch went on the IL on July 17 with a blister on his throwing hand. He’s not eligible to return until August 1.
Royals manager Mike Matheny also indicated star catcher Salvador Perez continues to progress toward a minor-league rehab assignment of his own.
A seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Perez has been on the IL since June 24. He had surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.
Perez was expected to be out eight weeks, though he has been adding to his workload before games at Kauffman Stadium in recent weeks.
During the last homestand before the All-Star break, Perez was doing catching drills on the field with bench coach Pedro Grifol under the watchful eye of the training staff.
This weekend, he took batting practice on the field prior to games. He also caught a bullpen session in recent days.
While Matheny was speaking to reporters in the dugout prior to Sunday’s game, Perez shouted to his manager on his way to the field to tell reporters he’s “good” with a big smile.
“Salvy says, ‘He’s good.’ By the way,” Matheny quipped.
“Whenever you give him dates and timelines, it’s just like a competition for him,” Matheny said. “We’ve kept the hand surgeon in really close contact about, ‘Here’s where we are, here’s how he feels, give us some parameters.’
“(Saturday), he put on a hitting display that would have stood out at the Home Run Derby. I don’t know how many balls he lost into the fountains, which is just always fun to watch him do. … He’s moving really fast, but he’s being watched close by the specialists and they’re all impressed. So I think we’re not too far from seeing him head out on a rehab stint here not too soon.”
Perez, who posted the most productive offensive season by a catcher in MLB history last season and led the majors in homers and RBIs, has struggled at the plate this season.
The four-time Silver Slugger award winner slashed .211/.254/.426 in his 57 games this season. He also has 11 home runs, which led the team at the time he went on the IL.
Rookie catcher MJ Melendez has handled the bulk of the catching duties in Perez’s absence. When both were on the roster, Melendez also got playing time at right field as well as designated hitter.
Melendez has caught 62 games (54 starts) this season between the majors and Triple-A. His single-season high for games caught in the minors is 81 (80 starts) set last season.
This story was originally published July 24, 2022 at 12:37 PM.