Royals' Salvador Perez Praises New Teammate On Return After Scary Incident

On Sunday, a scary incident took place when new Kansas City Royals' leadoff man Jonathan India was drilled in the side of the head with a 98.9 mph fastball from Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

India immediately left the game and was checked for concussion-related symptoms. Fortunately, he passed those tests and immediately returned to the lineup for Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, picking up three hits and helping lead Kansas City to an 11-1 win.

Royals' catcher Salvador Perez was impressed with his new teammate for bouncing back so quickly and raved about his new teammate after the game.

"It's something I've never seen in my career," Perez said of India. "He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met in my life. He gets hit in the head [with a] 99-100 mph fastball, comes in the next day and plays. Not just plays -- gets three hits, helps the team to win.”

Getting India back so quickly certainly gave the Royals a much-needed boost on Monday as they cruised to their second win of the 2025 season. But Perez was glad to have his new teammate back in the lineup for Monday's game against Milwaukee.

India should help give the Royals a bit of a jolt on the offensive side in 2025. The offense was heavily reliant on Bobby Witt Jr. last year, and having an extra bat in the lineup that can set the table certainly helps.

We'll see if he can keep it up after a strong return to the lineup on Monday.

More MLB: Royals' Jonathan India Receives Best-Case Update After Scary Hit-By-Pitch