SURPRISE, Ariz. _ Royals catcher Salvador Perez's return to spring camp was pushed back a day as a precaution.
While catching for Team Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday, Perez's left knee was injured in a freak play at the plate involving Royals teammate Drew Butera, who is with Team Italy.
Perez needed assistance when he left the game, but tests performed in Mexico, where the game was played, showed inflammation but not any structural damage to the knee. Initially, Perez was expected to return to Arizona on Sunday, but that was pushed back.
"He's flying in today," manager Ned Yost said Monday. "The doctors didn't want him flying right away, because there may be a little fluid on his knee and they wanted to give him a day to settle down before they flew him in here."
Perez will undergo an MRI after returning to the Royals, but that won't come until Tuesday at the earliest. The Royals training staff wants to make its own assessment.
