Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hip) is back in action on Sunday when the Royals continue a series against the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran backstop has been held out of the lineup for the first two games of this series due to a minor hip injury. Perez will serve as the team's DH and bat this afternoon in the cleanup spot. Before his injury, Perez was beginning to heat up at the plate, holding a .400/.419/.633 slash line with seven doubles and six RBI over his last eight contests. Prior to this recent surge, the 34-year-old held an underwhelming .182/.234/.295 slash line with just four doubles and two home runs over his first 23 games of the regular season. Under the hood, Perez has generated an elite .412 xwOBA, which suggests he should continue to produce at the plate. He is a strong option in DFS this afternoon, facing Baltimore right-hander Kyle Gibson.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hip) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Perez will miss his second game in a row after exiting early during Thursday's contest due to left hip soreness. The hope is that this is a minor issue and Perez can get back in the lineup within the next few games. In his absence, Freddy Fermin will cover behind the plate and bat eighth versus right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano on Saturday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hip) is absent from the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. Freddy Fermin is doing the catching for right-hander Michael Wacha and will hit eighth, while Mark Canha will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth against Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer. Perez, who should be considered day-to-day, will take the day off after being pulled early from Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with left-hip soreness. Check back to see if the 34-year-old veteran is back in action on Saturday. The nine-time All-Star has gotten off to a disappointing start in 2025, going 28-for-118 (.237) with only two homers, 16 RBI and eight runs. Neither Fermin nor Canha have faced Kremer in their careers. Canha has hit an impressive .345, but he has yet to leave the yard in his 29 at-bats for KC.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia had a big game in an 8-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Garcia went 3-for-5 with a double, a run, an RBI, and three stolen bases to help propel the Royals to the win. The veteran infielder was a terror on the basepaths in the win, bringing his season total to seven stolen bases, to go along with a .296 average, nine doubles, two homers, 12 runs, and 11 RBI across 108 at-bats. After stealing 37 bases in 2024, Garcia has proven his fantasy value as one of the top base-stealers in the American League.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. extended his career-best hitting streak to 22 games on Thursday by going 1-for-3 with his third home run of the season, three RBI, two walks and a strikeout in an 8-2 win to seal the series sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays. Witt's home run was to the opposite field off of starter Shane Baz to extend the team's lead. The 24-year-old All-Star is one of the best all-around players in the game and is certainly proving it early on in 2025. He's now hitting .322 on the season with an .896 OPS, .400 on-base percentage, 15 RBI, 20 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 140 plate appearances. Witt and the Royals will now head to Baltimore to face the Orioles for a three-game series starting on Friday. He will be up against right-hander Dean Kremer as he looks to extend his impressive hitting streak to 23 games.