Reuters 37-year-old Jason Kendall is back with the Royals this spring, but this time it’s as a special assignment coach helping to work with the team’s catchers. After his latest shoulder surgery in November, his future as a player looks bleak, the Kansas City Star reports.
“Can I play again?” Kendall asked. “I don’t know. I’m going to give it a shot. Is it going to be this year? No, probably not. But who knows? I’m in uncharted waters…This job might be something that I enjoy.”
Kendall hasn’t played since 2010, but he collected a nice $3.75 million salary from the Royals last year anyway. He estimated his chances of making it back to the majors at “five percent.”
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- dondada10 - Feb 24, 2012 at 11:06 PM
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If grit had a Hall of Fame, this guy would be a unanimous induction.
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- antifreeze27 - Feb 24, 2012 at 11:35 PM
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How is Jason Varitek not doing the same thing? Everyone knows he’s gonna have a coaching role on the team and soon…
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- royhobbs39 - Feb 25, 2012 at 8:22 AM
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I still view that play where he fractured his ankle (1999?) was one of the more gruesome plays in baseball I have ever seen. I remember thinking at the time he would never come back from that. Maybe he was not quite the same player, but he definitely had a pretty solid career for a catcher.
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- foreverchipper10 - Feb 27, 2012 at 12:46 PM
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I still cannot get that image out of my head. I think that was WAY worse than the Napoli injury this year. And that was gross.
