Cleveland Indians fans may be wondering why Austin Hedges is getting back-to-back starts during the weekend series in Chicago.
Roberto Perez last played Friday night and it is rare to see him out for more than a game at a time.
It turns out he is dealing with a bit of an injury.
Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez has a non-displaced fracture in his right ring finger. It was determined that he can play through it, but Francona wanted to give him some rest. Their hope is that he can return tomorrow and after 7-10 days, it'll be resolved.
— Ryan Lewis (@ByRyanLewis) May 2, 2021
The good news is that Perez is not dealing with anything that will keep him out for an extended period of time.
But still, there is still the risk of making things worse if he rushes back.
Austin Hedges Filling in for Roberto Perez
Indians beat reporter Ryan Lewis answered a fan on Twitter and revealed that this injury came as a result of Perez getting mixed up with James Karinchak.
Sounds like, from what Francona noted, it's a result of the two getting crossed up, yeah.
— Ryan Lewis (@ByRyanLewis) May 2, 2021
If fans are curious why sometimes a catcher is flailing for a ball behind the plate, mixing up signs is usually the culprit.
Hedges is now getting more of a look as he continues to be the primary backup at catcher.
A backup catcher’s batting average is usually going to be ugly and that is true for Hedges.
But he did hit a home run Saturday.
That was only his third hit of the season, for what it’s worth.
The 28-year-old came over in last year’s Mike Clevinger deal.
While serviceable on defense, it will be hard for him to ever challenge for a full-time role unless things pick up at the plate.
Roberto Perez’s Year so Far
Perez is off to a slow start at the plate himself.
He is slashing .143/.294/.321 in what is a collectively bad start for the entire offense.
The backstop hit a home run in the first game of the season and has been struggling to make a lot of noise at the plate since then.
His defense, however, remains stellar.
The main problem with Perez has been the strikeouts.
He has been punched out in 25 of his 56 at-bats and isn’t making up for it with a ton of walks.
Indians fans must remember Perez is only a career .210 hitter with an on-base mark of .302.
So he has never been a star on offense.
His amazing defense is what has kept him around as the top guy in Cleveland.
24 home runs in 2019, along with some postseason magic a few years back, hasn’t hurt his case either.
So Perez has an injury that should only keep him out this weekend.
Hopefully, Karinchak can figure out his signs and avoid another situation like this.
His strikeouts are amazing, but it is no good if he injures his own catcher.
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