PORT CHARLOTTE— Center fielder Fernando Perez’ wrist injury is worse than originally thought, and his projected return has been pushed back from three months to four or five, Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said today.

Perez was diagnosed with a dislocated left wrist after after catching his glove on the ground while diving for a line drive March 10. The Rays sent him to Dr. Donald Sheridan in Arizona for a second opinion, and Dr. Sheridan performed arthroscopic surgery Saturday. He discovered additional ligament damage on the under side of the wrist, which required the insertion of pins to help the injury heal properly, Friedman said.

“The good news is we caught it now,” Friedman said. “Had we not, it could have been something that plagued him for the restg of his career. The fact we cuaght it now and went in and put some pins in to the wrist, it’s going to push back the timetable probably two months. .... The doctor has full confidence that the wrist will heal well now that we’ve done this and it won’t be a lingering problem for him.”