Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals is struggling with a .200 batting average, raising concerns about his future with the team. The Royals face a dilemma on how to manage his performance while trying to compete for a playoff spot.
Salvador Perez is currently hitting .200 for the 2026 season.
He ranks 164th out of 171 qualified Major League hitters in wRC+.
The Royals can bench him, drop him in the lineup, or stay the course with his current position.
His struggles come at a crucial time as the Royals aim to return to the postseason after a recent playoff appearance.
Aston Villa defeated Liverpool 4-2, securing Champions League qualification while leaving Liverpool needing a win against Brentford to secure their own spot. Watkins scored twice in the second half, highlighting Villa's dominance.
Notts County secures League Two play-off final spot after 0-0 draw with Chesterfield
Cleveland Browns' 2026 NFL schedule reveals a grim outlook despite offseason changes.
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
This seems like the least likely option. Manager Matt Quatraro gave Perez an off day earlier this year, calling it a mental breather, a comment with which Perez took umbrage. It only lasted one game. The Royals could approach Perez *before* benching him, of course, as he is the elder statesman on the team and deserves to not be blindsided by such a momentous decision. But this wonāt happen, for several reasons. One is that Perez feels like he can still produce, so he wouldnāt remain shy about his feelings. He went to X with the mental breather situation, but there are more public ways to express his displeasure. Secondly, thereās not a great replacement on the roster. I always come back to this: If not him, who? The Royals carry two other catchers in Carter Jensen and Elias Diaz. Jensen has recently struggled and Diaz is 35 and without a hit in the month of May. Neither scream upgrade. Third, the backlash. As much as readers of *Royals Review* may want to see Perez ride the pine for a bit, there are even more fans who would become incensed if the organization benched him, with or without his knowledge.
This is the best option: move him out of the cleanup spot. Sure, he had four hits in the series against the White Sox, but three of them were singles. He homered in his first at-bat Tuesday night, which was great, but there have been more at-bats where heās swinging at damn near everything, either missing the pitches for ugly strikeouts or grounding into sure double-plays. He has no speed. He never has, but heās slowed down from *that*. It looks like heās standing in quicksand out there. Again, though: If not him, who? Dropping him in the lineup would only the be first step. Quatraro would have to revamp the entire lineup because swapping Perez with someone beneath him wonāt fix things. Outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and, to a lesser extent, Maikel Garcia, no one is producing. Nick Loftin is playing well, but thatās mainly against lefties.
The most likely scenario: Q keeps Perez in the cleanup spot on a daily basis while sometimes putting him behind home plate and sometimes slotting him in the lineup as the DH. Opting for this seems like madness. Salvyās clearly slowing down, needs more time off, and to be put in a less stressful role. Running him into the ground isnāt going to solve this problem. Iām loathe to write this, but Perezās poor reaction to getting a mental breather shows he isnāt quite the leader we fans make him out to be. He needs to accept reality, put his team first, and insist on *not* staying the course. Only Salvador Perez can prevent this option from happening.
He looks kinda banged up, right? Joel Goldberg mentioned on the Tuesday night television broadcast that Perez has been battling a host of maladies to his hips and groin. That doesnāt sound ideal for anyone let alone a starting Major League catcher. Maybe he doesnāt need a mental breather but a physical one. Throw him on the IL and see if he heals up. It at least buys some time.