Indians Catcher Roberto Perez Reveals He Fought Through Intense Ankle Pain Since April
By Parker White
Within the span of six months last year, the Cleveland Indians traded their top catching prospect Francisco Mejia to the San Diego Padres and starting catcher Yan Gomes to the Washington Nationals.
That opened up the starting role spot to Roberto Perez, who had spent his entire career as a backup.
Perez responded to this everyday opportunity by hitting a career-high 24 home runs and winning the AL Gold Glove Award at the position.
After five seasons in a backup role, Indians catcher Roberto Perez has won the Gold Glove Award in his first year as a starter.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) November 4, 2019
That accomplishment is even more impressive considering he dealt with an ankle injury since the month of April.
Perez described his ailment as feeling as if there was a knife poking into his ankle.
Roberto Pérez said it felt like a knife was poking at his ankle since April due to bone spurs. He then proceeded to catch 118 games.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) November 4, 2019
“I was telling myself don’t quit. You waited for so long to play every day and now that you have the opportunity you cannot go down like this.”
Yep, Perez battled through bone spurs in his ankle for the entire season, caught 118 games with it, and had his best offensive season as a big leaguer. All to prove that he was deserving of the starting role. Talk about a gamer.
Perez certainly didn't quit on his teammates, and he should be even better in 2020 with a healthy ankle. No wonder he's quickly become a fan favorite in Cleveland.