Royals C Salvador Perez exits game early with foul ball off mask

Sep 5, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) is unable to tag out Seattle Mariners center fielder Michael Saunders (55) in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

It may be much ado about nothing, but the Kansas City Royals have a minor concern in the form of Salvador Perez.

#Royals C Salvy Perez leaves game after RBI single in fifth. Took a hard foul off his mask earlier in the inning.
— Bob Dutton (@ByBobDutton) September 5, 2013

Normally, this would seem to be a normal precaution, but in the case of Perez, the team has reason to be skeptical. The 23-year-old returned less than a month ago from a term on the disabled list as a result of a concussion, and with history of lingering concussions around the league, anxiety is high.

Perez has big-time potential as a young backstop, and he even had positive impact after sustaining the blow to his mask in the 5th inning. He has a career low .728 OPS on the season, but Perez has been better in recent days, and he posted a .798 OPS over 300+ at-bats as a 22-year-old.

The next few days will be important in Perez’s evaluation, and the red flags will go up if he isn’t in the lineup on Friday. With that said, Perez is a part of Kansas City’s long-term plan, and the club would be incentivized to take things slow.

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