Report: Royals' Perez to undergo Tommy John surgery

After seeking a second opinion for his injury, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will miss the entire 2019 season, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The surgery is expected to be performed next week, Heyman reports.

Kansas City announced Friday that Perez flew to Los Angeles for a second opinion from noted surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

His injury leaves the Royals perilously thin behind the plate. Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria - who have a combined 45 games of big-league experience - are the only two catchers currently on the Royals' 40-man roster. Four other backstops are currently in Royals camp on non-roster invites.

The Royals have already been in touch with the representatives of free-agent catcher and former Gold Glove winner Martin Maldonado, Heyman reported earlier Friday.

Perez, a six-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Royals. The popular 28-year-old helped the franchise to its most recent World Series title in 2015 and was named MVP of that Fall Classic. Last season, he slashed .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs, and he won the American League Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at his position.

Before this injury, Perez was known in part for his durability at the most physically demanding position on the diamond. He's averaged 138 appearances per campaign since 2013.