Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is close with new Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, his former catching instructor and bench coach with the Royals. They are so close, it stands to reason that the White Sox might think about asking for Perez in a trade. The 32-year-old regressed offensively from his 48-home run, .859 OPS campaign in 2021 and he will earn $20 million in 2023, occupying around one-fourth of KC's payroll. Perez is also guaranteed $20 million in 2024, $22 million in 205 and a $2 million buyout on a $13.5 million club option in 2026. But the Royals aren't inclined to trade Perez, and certainly not to a team within their division. He's the last remaining player from the 2015 World Series team, and the Royals view him as an important piece of their offense. Teams aren't even bothering to ask about his availability, according to major-league sources.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) isn't in Wednesday's lineup for a matchup with the Cleveland Guardians and right-handed starter Aaron Civale. The veteran is batting .254 with a .292 on-base percentage and 23 home runs for the Royals this year in 473 plate appearances. Sebastian Rivero will start behind the plate instead and hit eighth. Rivero is batting .174 with a .240 on-base percentage in 26 plate appearances for Kansas City this season. Fantasy managers in search of streaming help behind the plate are probably better off looking elsewhere.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Perez will miss another game, and it remains to be seen if he'll play in the regular season finale on Wednesday. If the 32-year-old backstop cannot return on Wednesday, he'll finish his 2022 season with a .254/.292/.465 slash line with 23 home runs, 76 RBI and 48 runs scored in 473 plate appearances over 114 games. Perez took a step back after hitting a career-high 48 long balls and driving in 121 in 161 games last year, but the seven-time All-Star should remain one of the best power-hitting fantasy catchers in 2023. MJ Melendez is behind the dish again on Tuesday and is hitting leadoff against Guardians right-hander Cal Quantrill.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) remains out of the starting lineup on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. Perez is dealing with a sore left thumb and will miss his second straight game. The 32-year-old All-Star backstop is day-to-day and should have a chance to get back into the lineup for one of the final two games of the regular season on Tuesday and Wednesday. With Perez out again to begin the week, rookie MJ Melendez will start behind the plate and bat leadoff against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. The 23-year-old is only hitting .224 (100-for-447) in his first 126 major-league games in 2022, but he does have 18 home runs and 62 RBI. In nine games since Sept. 23, Melendez has gone 9-for-35 (.257) with a homer and five RBI.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is absent from the starting lineup on Sunday vs. the Cleveland Guardians. The veteran catcher has some thumb soreness but this is more of a maintenance day for him. MJ Melendez is starting behind the dish and Edward Olivares is filling in at designated hitter vs. Shane Bieber.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hand) is back in the lineup on Sunday in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers. Perez didn't play Saturday after being struck in the hand by a pitch during Friday's game. The 32-year-old catcher is starting behind the dish and batting third against Tigers starter Matt Manning. Perez has battled injuries and inconsistency all season but has still put up some decent counting stats with 19 home runs and 63 RBI. His .236/.275/.452 batting line across 90 games leaves a lot to be desired, however.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hand) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Perez left Friday's game early and was diagnosed with a right hand contusion after X-rays came back negative. It is likely that the veteran backstop is just feeling sore and needs an extra day or two to get back to full strength. Perez had a bounceback month in August, slashing .309/.342/.509 with six homers and 22 RBI, which is what fantasy managers expected from the 32-year-old when they drafted him in the top four rounds. MJ Melendez will catch for the Royals in Perez's absence.

Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny said that X-rays came back negative on catcher Salvador Perez (hand) after he was forced to leave Friday's game early against the Detroit Tigers. He's dealing with a right hand contusion and is day-to-day with soreness for now. Perez was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the top of the sixth inning. The 32-year-old backstop went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before leaving, and he's now hitting .236/.275/.452 with 19 home runs, 63 RBI and 39 runs scored on the season in 352 at-bats. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Perez isn't in the starting lineup on Saturday against Tigers right-hander Michael Pineda.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hand) was removed from Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers after he was hit by a pitch. Perez went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before he took a 93 mph fastball off of his hand during the sixth inning. He was replaced at catcher by Sebastian Rivero. Look for the Royals to update Perez's status upon the completion of Friday's contest. Perez is hitting .236 with 19 homers, 39 runs and 63 RBI on the season.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (back) is back behind the plate and is batting third on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Johnny Cueto. Perez was scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup with back tightness, but it obviously wasn't a serious concern. The 32-year-old veteran backstop needs to be returned to all fantasy lineups, as he hit an impressive .309 (34-for-110) with six home runs, 22 RBI and 12 runs scored in 28 games in the month of August to raise his season slash line to .241/.279/.461 with 19 homers, 63 RBI and 39 runs scored in 345 at-bats. In nine at-bats against the veteran Cueto, Perez is hitting .222 with one RBI.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (back) was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the Chicago White Sox due to back tightness. He is considered day-to-day, and his next chance to return to the lineup is Thursday against Chicago. The 32-year-old has been locked in at the plate recently, logging a seven-game hitting streak while hitting .448 (13-for-29) with two home runs, nine RBI, and five runs during that span. MJ Melendez will handle catching duties and would see an uptick in playing time if Perez were forced to miss any additional games. Stay tuned for further updates.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been on a tear at the plate since returning from the injured list. On Thursday, he went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in the win over the Boston Red Sox. The veteran catcher smacked an RBI single in the fifth inning off Nick Pivetta. He followed that up with a three-run homer that hit off the left field foul pole in the seventh inning. Perez has four home runs in his last seven games, so fantasy managers better make sure to keep him in their lineups.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez returned to the lineup with a bang during Friday's contest against the New York Yankees. The veteran catcher had been sidelined since June 24th due to the fact he needed surgery on his thumb. Now, Perez is back and wasted little time making his presence known. He went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during the loss to the Yankees. The 424-foot blast came in the fifth inning off ace pitcher Gerrit Cole. The 32-year-old is hitting .211/.254/.436 with 12 homers and 37 RBI this season. Hopefully this game was a sign of good things to come for Perez.

The Kansas City Royals reinstated catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) from the injured list on Friday and optioned infielder Emmanuel Rivera to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Perez is back behind the plate and is batting third on Friday against New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole. The 32-year-old veteran had surgery to fix the UCL in his left thumb on June 24, and he was originally expected to be out around eight weeks. Fantasy managers will be hoping that Perez can be more consistent at the plate than he was in the first half of the season, when he slashed .211/.254/.426 with 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 25 runs scored in 236 plate appearances over 57 games.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) should get some more at-bats in a minor league game on Thursday, but manager Mike Matheny said that Perez is tracking towards a return to the team soon. Perez began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday after taking batting practice over the weekend, and there's a chance the 32-year-old backstop could return to the Royals lineup at some point this weekend. He's been out since June 24 after having surgery on his left thumb. Perez was initially anticipated to miss around eight weeks, but it looks like he'll return well before that timetable. When he's activated, he'll return to a .211/.254/.426 slash line, 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 25 runs scored this year.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday. The 32-year-old underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb in late June. He was originally given a timeline of eight weeks, but it looks like he's on track to beat that estimate, assuming he can avoid setbacks. While we don't have an official timetable for Perez's return, it's unlikely he'll be at Triple-A more than a week or so, meaning we could conceivably see him back in the majors before the month of July is even over.

According to Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is nearing a return to the field. Per an article from Worthy on July 24, "Royals manager Mike Matheny ... indicated star catcher Salvador Perez continues to progress toward a minor-league rehab assignment of his own." Worthy's article also mentions that Perez has recently taken batting practice and caught bullpen sessions. The veteran's eventual return would certainly be a welcome sign for fantasy managers who have struggled to replace his production at catcher. In 236 plate appearances this season, the veteran is batting .211 with a .254 on-base percentage and 11 home runs.

Kansas City Royals skipper Mike Matheny said that catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) had successful surgery, and he was told that Perez would hopefully be able to return in eight weeks. Perez suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb and will be out for at least the next two months. The 32-year-old veteran was hitting just .211 with a .254 on-base percentage, but he did have 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 236 plate appearances over 57 games. At the weak catcher position, that's nothing to sneeze at, so Perez needs to remain stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy formats. MJ Melendez should operate as the Royals primary backstop with Perez sidelined, with Cam Gallagher serving as his backup.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is set to undergo surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. The Royals made this announcement on Friday while also stating that Perez was "expected to return this season." This is tough news for fantasy managers who are rostering the star catcher. Even if he indeed returns this season, it sounds as if his absence could be a lengthy one. Fantasy managers should continue to roster Perez until we get a better idea of what his timeline looks like. The Royals placed Perez on the 10-day injured list on Friday and activated outfielder Edward Olivares (quadriceps) in a corresponding move. With Perez out, there will be nothing standing in the way of MJ Melendez's playing time, making him a clear top-10 catcher in all formats for now.