All-Star, 15-year MLB veteran, sharply rebukes manager after ‘mental breather’

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro gave veteran catcher Salvador Perez the day off April 18 for their game against the New York Yankees.

Perez didn’t want it — and if that wasn’t clear to Quatraro before the game, it became clear to the public immediately after the Royals lost 13-4 in The Bronx.

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“I don’t need a mental breather,” Perez wrote on his X account after the game.

The statement was an obvious reference to Quatraro’s comments to reporters before the game.

“Just looking at the way things have gone, he’s played in every game,” Quatraro said, via Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “Day game after night game, Carter (Jensen) was going to catch today, and Salvy’s been struggling a little bit. Just try to give him a little mental breather.”

Perez, a nine-time All-Star, is hitting .160 with three home runs and six RBIs in his first 20 games of the season.

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Whether Perez was not a fan of the day off, Quatraro’s explanation for the day off, the fact that the manager made his reasoning public — or all of the above — is unclear.

What’s clear is that the 35-year-old veteran is not known for airing his internal grievances so publicly. The not-so-subtle reference to Quatraro’s comment bothered him enough to take it directly to social media.

Perez was only one of four Royals who had played every game through April 17. That’s unusual for a 35-year-old, or a catcher, though six of his 20 starts were at designated hitter.

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