Salvador Perez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his second home run of the year on Sunday, contributing to Kansas City's eventual 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Perez came to the plate in the fourth inning with Vinnie Pasquantino already on first and tagged a hanging breaker from pitcher Ben Lively for the Royals' first runs of the game. It wound up as Perez's only hit of the game. Perez went 3-for-11 with today's home run and three total RBI in the series against Cleveland. Perez was drafted as a top-five catcher, but so far he has turned in a .213 batting average and nine RBI. It is too early in the season for fantasy managers to turn their backs on one of MLB's most productive backstops. Up next for Perez is a three-game set against the Yankees, followed by four games against the Tigers.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (eye) has bruising below his eye but is "all good" and set to return to the starting nine on Friday. Perez exited Wednesday's contest early due to the laceration. However, the veteran backstop avoided a significant injury and will not miss any time. The 34-year-old was also able to practice on Thursday. Last season, Perez posted a .271/.330/.456 slash line with 27 long balls. He generated an elite .360 xwOBA and a .522 xSLG which placed him in the 92nd and 95th percentile respectively. He also generated an above-average 12.2 percent barrel rate and a 44.8 percent ard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should expect Perez to serve as the everyday catcher in the Kansas City and will see occasional starts at first base. He is a strong target when looking for RBI behind the dish as he will bat behind Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jonathan India.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (eye) left Wednesday's Cactus League game early against the Seattle Mariners due to a laceration under his left eye, the team announced. Perez will continue to be monitored by the Royals. We should have an update on Perez's injury and potentially how much time he'll be forced to miss in camp by Thursday. The fact that it's just described as a laceration, though, leads us to believed that he'll be fine by Opening Day later this month. Although he's now 34 years old, he's still considered a top-five fantasy catcher at RotoBaller after he made his ninth All-Star team in 2024 and slashed .271/.330/.456 with 27 home runs, 104 RBI and 58 runs scored in 158 games in his 13th big-league season. Perez has managed 20-plus homers in each of his last eight full seasons. Regression is coming eventually, but the fact that he also has first base eligibility boosts his fantasy value.