SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Royals catcher Salvador Perez was back in camp this week after having season-ending Tommy John surgery, and he spoke to reporters about his surgery, rehab and future.

Q: How are you feeling?

Perez: “I’m sore. Two days ago I got out of my cast. I’m starting to move it a little, so it’s sore. It’s going to be a long process. I’ll just be listening to my trainer and do what I’m told now.”

Q: Will you go back and forth from Miami to Kansas City during your rehab?

Perez: “I’m going to meet with [Royals general manager] Dayton [Moore] to talk about that. I think we’ll spend most of the time in Kansas City. I don’t know if he wants me to fly with the team [on road trips]. I know he wants me to help with [catcher Martin] Maldonado, with his first year in Kansas City.”

Q: How long will you be using a hinged elbow brace?

Perez: “It depends on the angle I get to. Once I get the angle to 120 [degrees], I can take it off. I think I can start throwing in four to five months, 30 or 45 feet at a time. You have to have patience. That’s going to be hard because I like to play. You know how much I love to play baseball. But I have to do my rehab right so I can come back next year.”

Q: Is there anything positive to getting a year off?

Perez: “I don’t think so. I want to catch 120 or 130 games a year so it’s hard not to. But a lot of people have told me that it might be good for me. Maybe it’s good for my legs. But I prepare myself every year to play a lot of games, so it’s hard.”

Q: Have you been feeling any pain in the elbow over the years and did it just get really bad?

Perez: “Seriously, I never had any problem with my elbow. They showed me my MRI from 2012 and they told me I had a little bit of damage in my elbow in 2012. But I don’t remember having any problem with it. I would always put ice on my elbow or my shoulder to recover after games. That was my thing. Seriously, that was the first time I ever felt any pain.”

Q: How well did you know Maldonado?

Perez: “Oh, I’ve known him for a long time. I knew him from his time in Milwaukee. Now, I’ll get to know him a little more and get a little closer. I think I can help him calling the game. But he has a good arm. He has asked me about the style of the pitchers, about the organization. We’ve talked.”