Perez Might Sit Out Season

Catcher Eddie Perez of the Atlanta Braves has re-injured his right shoulder and might be sidelined for the season.

Perez, a backup to Javy Lopez, who sat out most of last season after surgery on the shoulder in May, had an MRI on Tuesday that revealed new damage, the Braves said Wednesday.

The Atlanta Journal reported that Perez will have surgery Monday to repair a tear in his rotator cuff.

He told the newspaper he plans to sit out the season.

“One more year out of baseball,” Perez said. “I don’t even want to show up at the field. I don’t want people to see my face.”

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Jay Buhner contemplated retirement because of his sore left foot that has kept him sidelined for the Seattle Mariners.

When Buhner came off the field Tuesday after one at bat in a minor league game at Peoria, Ariz., he was discouraged and ready to quit. He took two steps out of the batter’s box and then had to jog to first because of the pain in his left arch.

“Yesterday was tough because I’d basically exhausted all avenues and we were right back to square one,” Buhner said Wednesday. “At this stage, you want to call for do-overs and start all over again, but you can’t.”

Buhner, 36, was supposed to platoon with Al Martin in left field in his 14th season in Seattle. Now, he’s sidelined indefinitely.

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Chuck Knoblauch’s much-anticipated left field debut might come today. Knoblauch worked out for the second consecutive day with New York Yankee outfield coach Lee Mazzilli. The session took place at the Yankees’ minor-league complex after Knoblauch went two for five as the designated hitter in a triple-A game. . . . Drew Henson is back with the only baseball team that can lure him away from the NFL. Now he’ll have to decide whether he wants to be a quarterback or a third baseman. The Cincinnati Reds traded the Michigan quarterback back to the Yankees along with outfielder Michael Coleman in exchange for outfielder Wily Mo Pena. . . . Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox threw for the first time since having a removable cast placed on his injured right wrist and said he hasn’t ruled out being in the opening day lineup. . . . The Reds signed outfielder Ruben Rivera to a one-year contract, one week after he was released by the San Diego Padres.