Salvador Perez to have thumb surgery, miss eight weeks

The Royals placed catcher Salvador Perez on the Injured List on Friday, after the All-Star catcher underwent surgery on his thumb to repair the ulnar collateral ligament. Salvy had missed time with an Injured List stint back in May for a thumb injury, and appeared to reaggravate it in a game on Tuesday against the Angels, causing him to leave the game.

Manager Mike Matheny told reporters today that the timeline would require Salvy be out at least eight weeks.

The seven-time All-Star was hitting .211/.254/.426 with 11 home runs in 57 games. His .680 OPS this year would be the lowest of his career, but he had been heating up lately, with a line of .281/.333/.625 with five home runs in his last 17 games. The 32-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $82 million contract extension.

The absence of Salvy will allow the Royals to get a long look at promising young MJ Melendez, who leads the team with a .754 OPS. Melendez had been playing some right field to get in the lineup more, but will presumably become the starting catcher now. To take Salvy’s spot on the roster, the Royals activated outfielder Edward Olivares from the Injured List. Olivares had been out since May 10 with a quad injury.

The Royals also activated Zack Greinke from the Injured List and placed pitcher Daniel Lynch on the Injured List with a blister on his left index finger. Lynch pitched 4 ²⁄₃ innings against the Angels on Wednesday, giving up one run, but with five walks.