On Friday, the Kansas City Royals announced that catcher Salvador Perez has been diagnosed with damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and has been ruled out indefinitely. He will receive a second opinion next week.

Here is Kansas City's injury announcement:

The Kansas City Royals today announced that Salvador Perez suffered an injury to his right elbow during Wednesday's workout in Surprise, Ariz. He underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on Thursday which revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. The All-Star catcher will travel to Los Angeles early next week to get a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Perez, 28, has played in only one Cactus League game this spring, serving as the designated hitter on Tuesday against the Dodgers.

The Royals did not announce a timetable for Perez's return, but damage to the UCL typically requires Tommy John surgery, which would sideline Perez the entire 2019 season. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports the initial recommendation is indeed Tommy John surgery:

Perez had been experiencing some elbow soreness during spring training before the MRI revealed damage. Since hitting the majors in 2011, Perez has consistently shouldered one of the heavier workloads among all MLB catchers.

The 28-year-old started in 128 games for the Royals last season (96 as catcher, 30 as designated hitter, 2 at first base) and slashed .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs and 80 RBI.