Salvador Perez’s sore right elbow flared up again Wednesday night, and this time it was enough to pull him out of the Royals’ 4-2 loss to the Dodgers.
The trouble came in the third inning, when Perez threw out Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages trying to steal second base. That play, Perez said, is when he felt the elbow tighten up the most. He stayed in for two more innings, but the discomfort kept building until he told manager Matt Quatraro he couldn’t keep going.
“when I threw to second base, you know, when Pages tried to steal, that’s when I felt the worst,” Perez said. “It was kind of hard to grab the bat and things like that.
It was getting worse during the inning. And I just told (Royals manager Matt Quatraro), ‘I don’t think I’m going to finish the game.’”
Perez has been dealing with the elbow issue for weeks, and the Royals had already been trying to work around it by limiting how often he caught. He said Wednesday was simply a worse day than the stretch he’s managed through.
“Today, I think, one day it got worse,” Perez said. “Some days it’s like two or three days good.
Four days good. It’s been six weeks since I’ve been playing like that, and I’ve been feeling good.
Today it got a little worse.”
After meeting with the training staff, Perez received an injection and said he expects it to help. Kansas City also gets a built-in break Thursday.
“Good thing tomorrow is off,” Perez said. “Try to see how I feel on Friday.”
Even with the injury, Perez still made a dent early. He went 1-for-2 and drove in a run with an RBI single in the third inning, helping the Royals jump ahead before the Dodgers took control.
Luke Maile finished the game behind the plate after Perez exited.
The loss was Kansas City’s 10th sweep of the season, and the club now sits 24 games under .500. The Royals head into Friday’s game looking for their first win on a six-game road trip, when they open a weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
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