Salvador Perez

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• Royals' Salvador Perez: Returns to catching in spring games

  03/18/2020 •

  Perez made his spring debut behind the plate Feb. 28 against San Francisco and started multiple games in the field before spring training was eventually suspended. The 29-year-old was initially limited to serving as the designated hitter as he made his return from Tommy John surgery -- which cost him the entirety of 2019 -- and he ended up totaling five starts in the field. Perez appeared in 13 Cactus League games overall and had a .250/.342/.375 slash line with one home run in 32 at-bats, and he's poised to reclaim his everyday role once the season eventually begins.

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• Royals' Salvador Perez: Returning to catcher Friday

  02/27/2020 •

  Perez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut behind the plate Friday against the Giants, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. Perez will make his highly anticipated spring debut Friday after having missed the entire 2019 season following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last March. The Royals expect the 29-year-old backstop to handle a normal workload behind the plate, although the club has admitted that he could receive a few more scheduled days off to serve as their designated hitter. Perez finished the 2018 season hitting .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs, 80 RBI and 52 runs scored and will be returning to the middle of Kansas City's lineup with high expectations for his ninth big-league season with the club.

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• Royals' Salvador Perez: Not catching Thursday

  02/27/2020 •

  Perez will bat third as the Royals' designated hitter in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. Perez had tentatively been in line to work behind the plate Thursday for the first time this spring, but manager Mike Matheny ultimately chose to give the backstop another day off of catching after undergoing a dental procedure earlier this week, per Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star. The 29-year-old should be ready to make a start at catcher at some point in the next few days.

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• Royals' Salvador Perez: Slated to catch Thursday

  02/26/2020 •

  Manager Mike Matheny said Perez would serve as the Royals' starting catcher in Thursday's Cactus League game against Milwaukee, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports. Perez had been scheduled to work behind the plate for the first time this spring in one of Wednesday's split-squad games, but the Royals pushed him back a day after he underwent a dental procedure earlier in the week. The 29-year-old had previously made two starts as a designated hitter and one at first base, as the Royals have been conscious about easing up on his catching duties following his March 2019 Tommy John surgery. Perez is still expected to see the bulk of his action as a catcher in 2020, though he may see more exposure to DH and first base compared to previous seasons.

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• Royals' Salvador Perez: Won't catch early in spring

  02/19/2020 •

  Perez will hit but won't catch in the Royals' first handful of spring games, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports. Perez has been practicing without restrictions after missing all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Royals will be careful not to overwork him early, but it appears that he'll have plenty of time to be ready for Opening Day. Whether or not he'll handle his typically heavy workload behind the plate early in the regular season remains to be seen.

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