Perez to Test Shoulder Friday

JUPITER, Fla. — Sore-shouldered reliever Chris Perez will attempt long toss Friday as a possible prelude to a weekend game appearance. Perez remained in Jupiter Thursday to accept treatment on his throwing shoulder, which has been a nuisance for some time. Minimizing its degree, Perez said he has made his last two Grapefruit League outings since the discomfort first surfaced.

Perez compared the sensation to “a knot” and said he typically feels uncomfortable before and after throwing. One of several contenders for the Cardinals’ closer role, Perez described the feeling as “stiffness” more than pain and said that he is typically able to loosen it with exercises and light throwing.

“It would hurt, then I would start playing catch and loosen it up and it would be gone,” Perez said.

Perez accompanied the club on its recent two-day swing to Clearwater and Lakeland but was scratched from a Monday assignment after waking up stiff. He threw in the Joker Marchant Stadium outfield and gradually became more comfortable. However, the team’s training staff sided with caution. He returned to camp and underwent an arthrogram on Tuesday. Results suggested no structural damage but confirmed an impingement caused by tendinitis.

“They told me they want to be healthy later. If there’s any kind of discomfort tomorrow we’re going to shut it down. They said it’s not that important right now for me to throw an inning,” Perez said.

Since first experiencing stiffness, Perez worked a scoreless inning against the Florida Marlins March 18 and allowed two runs in a bumpy inning against the Baltimore Orioles March 13.

Any residual discomfort today will lead to a longer shutdown. Even if he is allowed to pitch this weekend, Perez acknowledges going more than a week without game activity does not enhance his chances to open the season as Cardinals closer.

“It’s definitely not ideal,” Perez said. “I’ve still got 2 ½ weeks left and I can get four or five more appearances. Hopefully, they go good and I build some momentum going into the season and win a spot.”

(stltoday.com)