CLEVELAND -- On Thursday, Royals catcher Salvador Perez walked out on Progressive Field and went through several drills before making his way back to the clubhouse. Perez has not played since colliding with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert on Saturday and suffering a left quad injury. The initial timetable given for his absence was seven to 10 days.
Royals manager Ned Yost said Perez is still a bit away from being able to play, adding the hope is his status will change by the end of the series, even if he isn't ready to step back into his full role right away.
"We're hoping to have him available to pinch-hit or at least be [available in] an emergency by the end of the series," Yost said.
Yost said Perez is making progress, but that quad injuries are tough to deal with. He said crouching still bothers Perez, adding that he'd had some issue with fatigue when running through the drills.
"He still feels it a little bit, but [he's] getting closer," Yost said.
As Perez works his way back to 100 percent, the Royals have been the beneficiary of some solid performances from catcher Drew Butera, who Yost said had been "great" in the expanded role.
Butera entered Thursday hitting .462 (6-for-13) since Perez was injured. The catcher said he appreciated that Perez had given him complete support, though it wasn't a surprise.
"We have a good relationship," Butera said. "That's the cool thing about this team. No matter who's in there at any given time, we support one another."
Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy echoed those sentiments. He talked about how much Perez cares about the team as a whole, all the way down to each pitch. Kennedy said he even saw Perez offering some hitting tips to Butera.
"He has that presence of being a great leader," Kennedy said. "He doesn't want to get treatment. He wants to go out and cheer for the guys and watch everything on the bench."
Moose's surgery successful
On Thursday, the Royals announced that third baseman Mike Moustakas underwent successful ACL surgery on his right knee in Gulf Breeze, Fla. The surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The club said it was an isolated injury with no further damage outside of the ACL, adding Moustakas will remain in Florida until the team's current road trip ends.