KC Royals News: A new Salvy honor, injuries, former players

Accolades and awards come often to Salvador Perez, and justifiably so. In 11 seasons with the KC Royals, he's averaged at least one major honor per campaign—five Gold Gloves for his defense behind the plate, a club record four Silver Sluggers for his bat, and a whopping seven All-Star Game berths.

The Royals honored him again before Thursday's Opening Day loss to Minnesota.

Perez is now the club's captain. Only three players before him—George Brett, Frank White, and Mike Sweeney—have earned the captaincy, which reflects the Royals' wise reservation of the position for only those who've truly earned it.

Two trades weren't the only roster moves the KC Royals made Thursday

Certainly surprising, probably more for their timing than anything else, were, as our Jacob Milham wrote about shortly after they were announced, the cash-for-player deals Kansas City made before Thursday's game. The club sent Richard Lovelady to Atlanta and Matt Beaty to San Francisco.

Those were not, however, the club's only transactions of the day: four 40-man roster members landed on the Injured List. Outfielder Diego Hernandez (dislocated shoulder) and reliever Jake Brentz (working his way back from last season's Tommy John Surgery) are on the 60-day IL, and outfielder Drew Waters (oblique strain) and starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (rotator cuff strain) are on the 10-day IL.

It's too early to know what the club will do as each player comes off the List, but expect Hernandez to wind up at Triple-A Omaha, Brentz to join the Storm Chasers (or perhaps pitch first at one of the lower levels) before joining the big club late in the season, and Waters and Lynch to be back in Kansas City after rehab stints in the minors. The returns of Waters and Lynch will require corresponding 26-man roster moves and, in Waters' case, could, as we've suggested before, force Jackie Bradley Jr. out.

How did some former KC Royals fare on this season's Opening Day?

Besides Michael A. Taylor (1-for-4) and Jorge López (one strikeout in 0.2 innings) in their game against Kansas City, several ex-Royals were in action around the major leagues Thursday.

The Giants wasted no time getting Matt Beaty, traded to them earlier in the day, into a game. He pinch-hit late in San Francisco's 5-0 loss to the Yankees and went 0-for-1.

Eric Hosmer, who hit .267 in the Cactus League, couldn't muster a hit in his regular-season debut with the Cubs. Former KC first baseman-designated hitter Carlos Santana suffered the same fate for Pittsburgh. And back to the Cubs: former KC reliever Brad Boxberger pitched a scoreless inning for them.

Whit Merrifield played second base and went 0-3 for Toronto, Andrew Benintendi had a single in four at-bats for the White Sox, and Houston's Martín Maldonado was 1-for-3. Mike Moustakas didn't play for the Rockies.

Matt Strahm threw a scoreless frame for Philadelphia and Wil Myers, a third-round draft pick of the Royals in 2009, went 1-for-3 for the Reds.

And just in case you're wondering about Adalberto Mondesi, whose injury-plagued Kansas City career ended when the club traded him to Boston in January, he didn't play, and won't for some time. The Red Sox put him on the 60-day IL as he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered last spring.

The Royals are off today but will close out their three-game set with Minnesota with Saturday and Sunday afternoon games before opening a four-game home series with Toronto and Merrifield Monday evening.