Roberto Pérez heard his left hamstring pop rounding second base trying to go first to third on a base hit at Great American Ball Park.
While he hoped it was a tweak, he quickly accepted the reality.
"I'd never been in so much pain ever before," Pérez said at his locker at PNC Park Monday, hoisted up by a pair of crutches. "I knew right away something was wrong."
After several weeks of getting doctors' opinions and imaging, Pérez underwent surgery to his left posterior thigh to repair a ruptured hamstring tendon, ending his season.
As frustrating as the injury is, Pérez takes some solace knowing know that he got hurt "giving 100%" and trying to help his team with a good base running play. It's why so many people in the Pirates' clubhouse respect "Bebo."
Pérez is hoping it's not the last time he plays for the Pirates. The way he puts it, "I love being the the older guy."
"I want to come back here," Pérez said. "When I say come back here, come back to Pittsburgh. I feel like I owe them another year of me. I love it here."
Pérez signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Pirates this offseason to replace Jacob Stallings, who they traded to the Marlins.
A reunion in 2023 would make sense for both sides, as last year's top draft pick Henry Davis will likely start next season in the minors. If Pérez were to get hurt again, Davis would be an easy call-up. If he stays healthy, he would be a terrific mentor for a young catcher and give the Pirates a terrific catching tandem.
On his radio show with 93.7 The Fan Sunday, general manager Ben Cherington expressed interest in keeping Pérez as well, though nothing had been discussed.
Unfortunately, whether it's with the Pirates or another club, that injury concern will hang over Pérez, who missed significant time in 2020 and 2021 as well with finger and shoulder injuries.
Coming into spring training truly healthy, Pérez immediately reassumed a starter's workload before the "freak" injury.
"It sucks," Pérez said. "I hate being hurt. It's my third straight year of being hurt. I just want to have one year, at least, where I'm healthy and play 100 games like I did in 2019."
In 2019, Pérez won a Gold Glove and hit 24 home runs. While he wasn't quite matching that level of production this season, his four defensive runs saved and .700 OPS (103 OPS+) made him one of the game's most valuable catchers at the time of his injury.
"I feel bad for Roberto just because of the fact he was off to the start he was, especially in terms of leading our group," Derek Shelton said last week in Chicago. "We saw from even the play he hurt it on, he played hard. It just sucks."
He at least won't be going anywhere for the time being. Pérez is going to do a lot of his rehab around Pittsburgh so he can stay around the clubhouse. The pitching and coaching staff expressed desire that the two-time Gold Glove winner hung around, with the clubhouse valuing his knowledge and leadership.
Pérez was more than willing to stay.
"If I go home, as much as I love my family, I'm going to go crazy if I stay at my house," he said. "Right now, for me, I would like to stay here around the team. Be around the team. Come to the ballpark whenever they're here. Spend time with them. That's my second family, you know what I mean? They want me here. I know they expressed that they want me around the team, so I'll be here."
Pérez said that he jokes with the pitching coaches that he should still be given the PitchCom device the catchers wear to call games. He'd just do it from the dugout.
Perhaps that's a clue that a future as a coach could be in his future. But he isn't ready to hang 'em up yet.
"I'm in a better place mentally. But it's a grind. It's a disappointing season for me. Was finally healthy until this happened again. Another year of being hurt. I know I will come back next year."
