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Martin Maldonado will keep the Royals’ catching spot warm for Salvador Perez this year

If it hasn’t already sunk in for Royals fans, it may be more than a little jarring that the club goes into the season knowing Salvador Perez won’t be its everyday catcher for the first time since 2012.

Word of Perez’s elbow injury came out at the start of the month, and his surgery took place more than 20 days ago, but even Royals general manager Dayton Moore admitted the notion really struck him during Wednesday’s workout at Kauffman Stadium on the eve of opening day.

“It kind of hit me again today when I was watching him in the dugout with his family,” Moore said of Perez.