Pérez exits home opener with right shoulder strain

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ catching situation became even more precarious on Friday afternoon, when veteran Roberto Pérez was forced to exit the club’s 3-1 loss against the Royals at Oracle Park with a right shoulder strain.

Pérez got the starting nod behind the plate for the fifth time in the Giants’ first seven games, but he hurt his throwing arm while attempting to throw out Kyle Isbel at second base in the sixth inning. Pérez immediately grimaced in pain and promptly exited the game accompanied by Giants athletic trainer Anthony Reyes, a sobering scene that dampened the festive vibes of the club’s home opener.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Pérez felt a “zing” in his shoulder, but the Giants have yet to determine the severity of the injury. The 34-year-old veteran landed on the injured list with right shoulder trouble twice in the past, missing 18 games in 2020 and 38 games in ‘21.

“Pretty tough,” said right-hander Alex Cobb, who was charged with the loss despite holding the Royals to two runs on seven hits over seven innings. “I know he battled last year with some injuries and he’s such a quality player when he’s healthy. I know he’s looking for a bounceback year and showing everybody he's healthy. I’m not going to be too doom and gloom about it. Hopefully he gets it checked out, and it’s something minor. But it’s never a good sign when you’re getting helped off that way.”

Rule 5 Draft pick Blake Sabol jogged in from left field to replace Pérez behind the plate, with LaMonte Wade Jr. shifting to the outfield and Wilmer Flores entering the game at first base.

The mid-inning position switch capped an eventful day for Sabol, who also made a juggling catch in left and delivered a RBI single to drive in the lone run of the afternoon for the Giants, who continued their boom-or-bust ways by collecting only five hits against Brad Keller and three Kansas City relievers.

“I’m hoping Roberto is OK,” Sabol said. “I haven’t heard anything about it yet. For me, I’m just going to control what I can control and give my team my best. I’ll be ready to go wherever the team needs, whether that’s back in the outfield or back behind the plate for the next couple of weeks.”

The Giants were already down one catcher, as Joey Bart landed on the 10-day injured list with a mid-back strain last week. Bart is progressing well and could begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of days, but he won’t be eligible to return until Monday at the earliest.

Pérez’s injury leaves Sabol as the only healthy catcher on the 26-man roster, which could force the Giants to add Austin Wynns, the odd man out of the four-man catching competition this spring, or two-time All-Star Gary Sanchez, who joined the club on a Minor League deal last week.

Wynns entered Friday 2-for-13 (.154) with one home run through his first four games at Triple-A Sacramento, while Sanchez has yet to report to a Minor League affiliate as he continues to build up in extended spring camp in Arizona. Neither is on the 40-man roster, so the Giants would have to clear a spot for both of them.

“You break camp, and you feel pretty thick at that position,” Cobb said. “A week in, blink of an eye, and you’re looking around [wondering] how we’re going to piece it together. Not an ideal start. Hopefully Joey is on the back end of what he has going on, and hopefully Roberto has a bounce back as well to whatever he had going on today.”

Pérez, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, served as the Giants’ Opening Day catcher after making the team as a non-roster invitee, but there were questions about how much of the catching workload he’d be able to handle after appearing in only 65 games over the past two seasons due to injuries. Still, the Giants will be hard-pressed to replace the defensive prowess and calming presence he brings behind the plate.

“The game is slow to him,” Cobb said. “He sees things. He’s seen it all. He’s been 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. There’s just instincts to the game that you can’t really teach. It’s only on-the-job training. That’s pretty invaluable.”