Moose's return to Kauffman, best KC memory

KANSAS CITY -- Of all the memories that former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas has of Kauffman Stadium, one stands out.

It was Oct. 1, 2017, and the nucleus of players that lifted the Royals back to national prominence -- Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain -- was taken out of that final regular-season game, all at the same time in the top of the fifth inning.

Moustakas, Cain, Hosmer and Escobar -- all pending free-agents -- walked off the field together, like brothers, like family, to the roar of grateful Kansas City fans.

“If I had to pick one memory, obviously the World Series is top,” Moustakas said Wednesday in a Zoom call, “but the time we all walked off the field together, one last time, I’ll never forget. Just walking off the field with the boys. That was special. I won’t ever forget that.”

Moustakas is back at Kauffman Stadium, now as a member of the Reds, who are in town to play the Royals in a doubleheader Wednesday.

“I had a lot of great years here,” Moustakas said. “A lot of great memories.

“It’s cool. It’s really cool to come back to a place that meant so much to me and my family, to come back to a place where I meant so much to the people here. The fans and the city -- like we said back in ’14 and ’15, it wasn’t just us, it was the whole city. We felt that love every time we stepped on the field.

“To be able to come back to a place that meant so much to me -- I spent most of my professional career with people in this organization. That is the best part of this.”

Perez still out
Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez remains sidelined because of blurry vision in his left eye caused by a fluid-filled particle that eye doctors say will eventually dissolve and disappear. But no one knows exactly when it will dissolve.

Obviously, the Royals are considering a move to the injured list for Perez. But manager Mike Matheny said with Tuesday’s postponement and Thursday’s scheduled off-day, the 28-man roster is manageable now even with carrying three catchers. Matheny said they will wait until at least the weekend to see if Perez’s condition improves before making an IL decision.