Baseball is a quirky sport full of weird injuries, and I type this with a nagging back injury I got from bowling, so I certainly know odd ailments.
The history of the disabled list in the MLB is littered with weird injury origins and funny yet painful reminders of the folly of man. Who could forget then-Colorado Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes falling down a staircase carrying a cooler full of venison? Or Sammy Sosa sneezing his way to the DL with a rib injury?
This year’s version of the Kansas City Royals, though, have already claimed the title for weirdest offseason injury list. The latest came on Tuesday when the team announced that catcher Salvador Perez will miss 4-6 weeks with an MCL tear he got while falling down the stairs with a suitcase.
Salvador Perez says he missed a step while carrying luggage in his house. His left knee hyperextended and the MRI showed a Grade 2 tear of his MCL. He’ll miss four to six weeks: pic.twitter.com/GHNXQaBO9t
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) March 28, 2018
As someone who, as a youth, totally fell down a staircase attempting to carry a suitcase, I completely understand how this could happen. I came away with a few bruises, but Perez wasn’t so lucky. Yet as Shaun Newkirk pointed out on Twitter, this is far from the oddest injury the Royals have had in just the last few months.
List of Royals injuries recently:
Manager fell out of a tree stand and almost died
Pitcher fell through a barn roof
Catcher tore his MCL lifting a suitcase
Recent pitcher almost lost a finger in a crossbow injuryThe Mets have a new rival https://t.co/2MC3v5lZK1
— Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) March 28, 2018
Indeed, Royals manager Ned Yost broke his pelvis falling out of a tree stand in an accident that he said could have been fatal. Travis Wood nearly lost a finger in a crossbow accident. Brian Flynn fell through a barn roof and broke a rib and three vertebrae. And now Perez joined the list with the suitcase incident.
As someone who has done none of the rest of those things, I can confirm that’s a horrible stretch of incidents for the Royals, a franchise that should never be allowed to hunt or farm. Wrap the entire franchise in bubble wrap and place them on a level surface when they’re not on the field this summer.
