Cleveland Indians fans learned of Roberto Perez‘s finger injury last week.
But he did appear in Monday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
That provided hope he would just play through the pain until he was healed.
Friday brought bad news as Perez had surgery on his finger that will keep him out for quite some time.
"It's not weeks. It's months." –Terry Francona, on Roberto Pérez's recovery timetable
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 7, 2021
This brings all the other options at catcher into focus.
The Plan at Catcher Moving Forward
Austin Hedges is now the top option behind the plate.
After him it would appear veteran Rene Rivera will be the backup.
Rivera had three hits Thursday afternoon in his first game in an Indians uniform.
Some fans may be wondering if he is some young prospect.
He is actually a 37-year-old journeyman who perfectly fits the role of being a temporary backup at the position.
But it is Hedges who will now get a shot to prove he can succeed as an everyday player.
The 28-year-old came over from San Diego in the Mike Clevinger trade and is making over $3 million this season.
Such a figure on this team actually does jump off the page.
Hedges was a regular starter for the Padres from 2017-2019, but never put up numbers on offense worthy of keeping him around as a foundational piece.
He is off to another slow start in 2021, however, it is not easy to do well on offense in a limited role.
That can all change with this new opportunity.
A Prospect in Waiting
The Indians have a top catching prospect waiting in the wings and he has a familiar name.
Bo Naylor is listed as the team’s No. 3 prospect by MLB.com behind only Nolan Jones and Tyler Freeman.
As you may have guessed, the catcher is brothers with Indians outfielder Josh Naylor.
The younger Naylor is still only 21 years old and is starting at Double-A Akron.
He reached Single-A Lake County in 2019 and then the minor league season was canceled in 2020.
So it would honestly be a shock if he rose up to the majors at any point in 2021.
Perez should be able to return at some point, based on current knowledge, so there is no need to rush up Naylor.
He just needs reps at this point.
The First Setback in 2021
The official timetable for Pérez's return is 8-10 weeks. He had three pins inserted into his hand during the operation.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 7, 2021
Every single MLB team deals with injuries and setbacks during the course of a 162-game season.
This is the first major one for the Indians in 2021.
Perez is a huge asset to the pitching staff and it will now be up to Hedges and Rivera to pick up the slack.
Hedges being around last year should help, and Perez should still be around the staff to help as well.
The Indians are riding some great momentum after sweeping the Kansas City Royals to start the week.
Hopefully, this Perez news won’t do anything to demoralize the group.
Leave a Reply