Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (eye) has bruising below his eye but is "all good" and set to return to the starting nine on Friday. Perez exited Wednesday's contest early due to the laceration. However, the veteran backstop avoided a significant injury and will not miss any time. The 34-year-old was also able to practice on Thursday. Last season, Perez posted a .271/.330/.456 slash line with 27 long balls. He generated an elite .360 xwOBA and a .522 xSLG which placed him in the 92nd and 95th percentile respectively. He also generated an above-average 12.2 percent barrel rate and a 44.8 percent ard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should expect Perez to serve as the everyday catcher in the Kansas City and will see occasional starts at first base. He is a strong target when looking for RBI behind the dish as he will bat behind Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jonathan India.
Salvador Perez Suffers Eye Laceration On Wednesday
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (eye) left Wednesday's Cactus League game early against the Seattle Mariners due to a laceration under his left eye, the team announced. Perez will continue to be monitored by the Royals. We should have an update on Perez's injury and potentially how much time he'll be forced to miss in camp by Thursday. The fact that it's just described as a laceration, though, leads us to believed that he'll be fine by Opening Day later this month. Although he's now 34 years old, he's still considered a top-five fantasy catcher at RotoBaller after he made his ninth All-Star team in 2024 and slashed .271/.330/.456 with 27 home runs, 104 RBI and 58 runs scored in 158 games in his 13th big-league season. Perez has managed 20-plus homers in each of his last eight full seasons. Regression is coming eventually, but the fact that he also has first base eligibility boosts his fantasy value.
Kansas City Royals Catcher Salvador Perez had a monster performance in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader 9-4 win against the Cleveland Guardians. He went 2-for-4 with two homers, six RBI, and a walk. Perez is slashing .282/.341/.494 with 26 homers and 94 RBI across 129 games (478 at-bats) this season. His RBI total ranks sixth in the American League. The 34-year-old, playing in his 13th season with the Royals, is having a stellar year and will hopefully continue to lead this time down the stretch.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez smacked a double and a home run in a 2-for-4 day at the plate during a 7-4 win over the Phillies. The veteran backstop also collected three RBI in the contest. The 34-year-old doesn't show signs of slowing down, having put together another fine season for the Royals. He's even lowered his K% 3.2% over last season while increasing his BB% 3.3%, all helped by an increase in contact rate and a reduction in chase rate. The 9x All-Star has slashed .276/.334/.474 with 23 home runs and 88 RBI this season, putting him only behind William Contreras for most productive fantasy catcher.
Salvador Perez Smacks Homer, Collects Three Hits In Big Friday Win
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez launched a solo HR to go along with a double and a single in the Royals 9-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Perez's 20th home run of the season came off Tigers' ace and AL Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal in the second inning. His RBI double in the seventh inning helped extend the Royals' lead to 7-2. With the Royals holding onto a one game lead in the wild card race, Perez's big day against a big-time starter was key for the Royals. His .815 OPS ranks second in the Royals' lineup as he continues to be one of the more valuable catchers at the plate. He'll look to continue raking on Saturday against Tigers' scheduled starter Michael Lorenzen.
Kansas City Royals catcher/first baseman/designated hitter Salvador Perez continued his power-resurgent season in Monday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI. The 34-year-old smashed a third-inning Yilber Diaz fastball to straightaway center field for his 18th long ball of the season. The veteran is having a fantasy season more similar to those earlier in his career, slashing .279/.341/.475 with 41 runs scored and 66 RBI in 396 plate appearances. He has managed to still get plenty of at-bats despite his age by cycling between first base and DH when not catching.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the hosting Boston Red Sox and right-hander Kutter Crawford after leaving Friday night's win late due to cramping. Perez will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup, with Freddy Fermin doing the catching for right-hander Seth Lugo and hitting seventh. Fantasy managers will want to get Perez back into all of their starting lineups on Saturday, despite the fact that he's gone hitless in five career at-bats against Crawford. The 34-year-old nine-time All-Star is hitting .280/.342/.470 on the year with an .813 OPS, 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 92 games and also brings a six-game hitting streak into Saturday's contest. Perez has gone 8-for-23 (.348) with two homers, seven RBI and four runs scored during his modest hitting streak that began on July 5.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez left Friday's contest early at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox due to cramping in the eighth inning. In the Royals' 6-1 win, Perez went 1-for-3 with a single and two RBI before hitting the showers early. He was replaced by catcher Freddy Fermin. With just two more games this weekend before the league heads into the All-Star break next week, the Royals could play it safe and keep the 34-year-old All-Star catcher out for the rest of the weekend. At the very least, fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if Perez is in there. Perez made his ninth All-Star team this year and entered Friday's game in Boston with a strong .279/.343/.471 slash line with an .815 OPS, 16 home runs and 59 RBI. Despite his age, he's a must-start catcher in all fantasy leagues.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez came up big in his team's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. Perez combined to go 3-for-7 with two homers, two runs, and four RBI as the Royals swept the Cardinals in the doubleheader. The veteran catcher has been showing off his power lately as he has five homers and 14 RBI over his past 15 games. Overall, Perez is hitting .279 with 16 homers, 36 runs, and 59 RBI across 333 at-bats. Even in his age 34 season, Perez remains one of the best offensive catchers in fantasy baseball.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (knee) left Friday night's game against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers with discomfort in his right knee. Before the team removed him from the contest, Perez hammered a three-run home run to left field off Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone to give the Royals a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of Friday's loss. He'll be further evaluated ahead of Saturday's showdown in LA, and fantasy managers should deem the veteran slugging backstop day-to-day for now. The 34-year-old Perez has been as good as ever in 2024, slashing a robust .297/.375/.490 with 11 homers, 15 doubles, and 45 RBI covering 249 at-bats (66 games) as KC's everyday cleanup hitter. Freddy Fermin would be worth a look in two-catcher formats if Perez needs to miss more action, batting .294 (35-for-119) over 41 outings this season, and corner outfielder MJ Melendez could also see some work behind the plate in this case.
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