ROYALS’ PEREZ HURTS MCL WHILE CARRYING LUGGAGE
MO.» Talk about KANSAS CITY, carrying some baggage into the season.
Kansas City will be without Salvador Perez for up to six weeks after the star catcher sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee while carrying a suitcase up some stairs in his home.
The injury occurred Tuesday night, when the Royals returned to Kansas City from spring training. The five-time all-star heard a “pop” and immediately called Royals trainer Nick Kenney, who advised Perez to ice the knee and come in for an MRI exam on Wednesday.
The exam revealed a grade 2 sprain with a minor tear of the ligament.
No surgery is required, and recovery can be as little as four weeks. But the freak injury leaves the Royals without one of their top hitters when they open against the White Sox on Thursday.
“Hopefully,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, “it’s shorter than longer.”
Ichiro in opening-day lineup.
Mariners left fielder Ichiro Suzuki will be in the starting lineup for Thursday’s home opener against the Indians.
Ichiro was troubled by a sore calf for most of the spring. He went 0-for-10 in 5 games played, with five strikeouts and two walks, and there had been questions about whether he would be healthy enough to join the team for opening day. The Mariners signed Ichiro to a oneyear, $750,000 contract March 7.
Eovaldi out indefinitely.
Rays right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will undergo another surgery on his injury-plagued pitching elbow and is out indefinitely.
The Rays announced that Eovaldi, who was looking to make a comeback this season from a second Tommy John surgery, has loose bodies in his elbow and will need surgery.
Tebow starts in Double-A.
Tim Tebow will start the season with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in Binghamton.
Tebow is entering his second season in the Mets organization and said in a statement that he is excited about the assignment to Binghamton.
Weather, already.
The Reds postponed their opening-day game against the Nationals until Friday at 4:10 p.m. EDT because of inclement weather.