For the first time since the 2010 season, the Royals will play an entire season without catcher Salvador Perez.
The six-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove catcher will have season-ending surgery to repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his throwing arm on Wednesday.
The Royals are expected to move forward with the combination of Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria at catcher for the immediate future.
The Royals announced on Friday that Perez would be shut down due to the ligament damaged revealed by an MRI. He played in just one spring training game, as the team’s designated hitter.