Glen Perkins "didn't want to be the overpaid guy" when he signed his contract. "Well, now I am," he wrote Wednesday.
The Twins' closer, whose 2016 season ended after just two innings in April, pledged through a post on his Twitter account that "nobody will be working harder than me" to return to the Twins' bullpen. But even he conceded that the torn labrum in his shoulder, which will be surgically repaired Thursday, "will most likely affect the rest of my career in some capacity."
Perkins signed a four-year, $22.2 million contract during spring training in 2014, and provided All-Star-caliber seasons for the first two years of the deal. But back spasms caused a loss of effectiveness in the final two months of 2015, and his shoulder injury has kept him sidelined this year, finally causing him to opt for season-ending surgery.
In Los Angeles for Thursday's procedure, Perkins posted a message to fans on his Twitter account. That message read:
"Tomorrow at 1 p.m I am having shoulder surgery that will most likely affect the rest of my career in some capacity. Do I wish I could've avoided this fate? Yes. That's why I rehabbed for two months. Am I disappointed that I can't contribute to our team this year while getting paid a … ton of money? Yes, it makes me sick. Getting paid for not doing anything to help was the thing I feared most when I signed my contract. I didn't want to be the overpaid guy. Well, now I am. The only thing I can control is how hard I rehab. So from tomorrow until I am back pitching in MLB know that nobody will be working harder than me to get there. That's all I can offer at this time.
"Peace and see you all at Target Field next spring!"
