KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez carried his own suitcase up the stairs when he arrived home from a stint at Triple-A Omaha, never once thinking about how perilous the trek was the last time he tried it.The Royals' All-Star catcher was toting his bags up the stairs after returning from spring training last month when he slipped awkwardly on a step. He wound up straining ligaments in his left knee and has spent nearly a month on the disabled list.Perez was activated along with outfielder Alex Gordon before Tuesday night's game against the Brewers. Perez was behind the plate and batting cleanup while Gordon was in left field and hitting seventh."I'm excited to be back on the field. It's time to go," Perez said. "They asked how I was feeling. I'm feeling great. You know me. I like to play hard. I like to compete. I like to help my team win."The Royals have had a hard time with that lately. They were just 5-15 heading into their game against Milwaukee, all of those games with fill-ins... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals activated All-Star catcher Salvador Perez and outfielder Alex Gordon from the disabled list and put them in the lineup for Tuesday night's series opener against the Brewers.Perez has been out all season after straining a ligament in his left knee while carrying bags up a flight of stairs in his home. He was behind the plate and batting cleanup against Milwaukee.Gordon tore the labrum in his left hip on April 9. He was in left field and batting seventh.The Royals also recalled left-hander Eric Stout from Triple-A Omaha to provide bullpen help. They cleared roster space by putting right-hander Justin Grimm on the DL with lower back stiffness and sending catcher Cam Gallagher and outfielder Paulo Orlando to the Storm Chasers.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball