Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez was diagnosed with a mild concussion after taking a foul ball off his mask Tuesday.
Perez was struck by a ball tipped by the Oakland Athletics’ Jurickson Profar in the third inning, and he exited the game two innings later. Kevin Plawecki took over behind the plate.
“I don’t need to play doctor, but it seems very mild,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Perez’s injury. “Saying that, he was still diagnosed with a concussion. So we’re going to send him home tonight, get him back here tomorrow.”
The Indians will wait to see Perez’s condition Wednesday before deciding whether to place him on the seven-day injured list, which is used exclusively for concussions. However, the team will bring in catcher Eric Haase from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday to have him available in case he is needed should Perez wind up on the shelf.
Perez, 30, went 0-for-2 on Tuesday in the Indians’ 5-3 loss to the A’s. He is hitting .228 with six homers and 14 RBIs through 34 games this year.
Haase, 26, is batting .245 with 11 homers and 19 RBIs in 30 games for Columbus this year. He made his major league debut with Cleveland last year, going 2-for-16 (.125) with no homers and one RBI in nine games.