Royals Catcher Salvador Perez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery, Out for 2019 Season

Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will undergo surgery to repair damage to his UCL in his right elbow.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, ending his 2019 season, the team announced.

The Royals said after Perez received a second opinion on his elbow, the six-time All-Star decided to surgically repair a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament.

Royals manager Ned Yost said that there is still an option to upgrade at the position. For now, Kansas City will stick with Cam Gallagher and rookie Meibrys Viloria at the position.

“Of course [that door] is still open,” Yost said. “It’s always open. It never closes for anybody. You’re always, always, always looking to get better. But we’re happy with what we’ve got. If we didn’t do anything, I’d be more than happy. I’m fine with Viloria and with Cam.”

Perez, 28, has been an AL All-Star for six straight years, and has won the Gold Glove five times. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 80 runs in 2018, leading the team in both categories, but he also set career lows in batting average (.235) and on-base percentage (.274).

The Royals have struggled since winning the World Series in 2015, missing the postseason in each of the past three seasons. Kansas City finished with a 58–104 record in 2018, the second worst mark in baseball.