Roberto Pérez headed straight to the clubhouse after throwing down to second base during the sixth inning on Friday, and was later diagnosed with a right shoulder strain.
Pérez, 34, has dealt with shoulder issues in the past. He missed nearly three weeks in 2020 with a shoulder strain. A similar injury popped up the next year, plus a broken finger. Then a hamstring injury derailed his 2022 season.
Now the two-time Gold Glove winner could be heading back to the injured list, leaving the Giants potentially with one catcher on their 26-man roster.
“Joey (Bart) going down early, break camp and you feel pretty thick at that position,” starter Alex Cobb said. “And then a week in, blink of an eye, you’re looking around about how we’re going to piece it together. Not ideal to start. But hopefully Joey is on the back end of what he has going on and hopefully Roberto has a bounce-back as well.”
Bart is currently on the 10-day injured list with a mild back strain suffered in batting practice. He’s eligible to return on April 10 and could begin a rehab assignment before that.
But Pérez is the one who won the starting job. Much of the veteran’s value derides from factors that don’t show up on the box score. On one Cobb’s web-gem throw to second, Pérez guided him by screaming the correct base that Cobb needed to aim at. He has consistently graded out as an elite framer and blocker while also leading the league in caught stealing twice.
Pérez started five of SF’s first seven games, including Opening Day. He’s the most experienced backstop on the 40-man roster and proved to be the most valuable option between himself, Bart, Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol and veteran Austin Wynns.
“The game is slowed down,” Cobb said. “He sees things — he’s seen it all out there. You can’t replace reps. We’re going to try to get Sabol up to speed in the big leagues, but he hasn’t seen what Bebo’s seen back there. The game, there’s just instincts of the game you can’t really teach. It’s only on-the-job training.”
If Pérez has to miss time, Sabol would be the only healthy catching option on the roster — before a roster move. He replaced Pérez in the sixth inning after the injury and knocked in San Francisco’s lone run earlier in the game as a left fielder.
“One thing we know about Blake Sabol is he’s prepared,” manager Gabe Kapler said postgame. “He’s prepared for anything that comes his way in the outfield. He’s not intimidated by making a switch like that in a game. He’s prepared to catch all of our pitchers. So, while this may come as a surprise, he wasn’t caught off-guard at all.”
Sabol has developed a solid reputation as a framer, but his throwing arm is still a work in progress. He also had a tough inning while catching Sean Hjelle in New York that included a double steal and three wild pitches.
When Pérez made the team, he pulled Sabol aside for some veteran advice.
Said Sabol: “He took me over and he was like, ‘Hey, I want to let you know I’m here for you. I’ve been playing this game for awhile and I want to share my knowledge with you so you can play this game for a really long time, too.’ He’s been awesome. I’m hoping he’s okay.”
Gary Sánchez, who signed with the Giants on a minor league deal, hasn’t yet appeared in a Triple-A game. But he played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and then competed for DR in the World Baseball Classic, so he may not need much time to physically ramp up.
Wynns may be the most readily available candidate for a call-up. He posted a .965 in spring training and has played in four games for the River Cats to start.
But the most pressing concern is Pérez, who had played just 65 games in the past two seasons prior to 2023.
“Felt a zing in his shoulder,” Kapler said postgame. “Right shoulder strain. We don’t have a sense of how long it’s going to be.”
