The Royals will be without Salvador Perez for six-to-eight weeks after he was diagnosed with torn cartilage in his left knee. Perez left Tuesday's game early with significant pain in his knee.
"I'm in a lot of pain. I'm disappointed because this was my first year (to be in the majors on opening day). I was really motivated. It's very painful but, hopefully, I can bounce back and I'll be fine."
Perez will have surgery in the next few days and will miss opening day on April 6. In Perez's absence, the regular catching duties will fall on Brayan Pena. The injury will also force Kansas City to look for another catcher to add to the 40-man roster.
Perez made his big league debut in August of last season and hit .331 with three homers and 31 RBIs in 39 games.
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