The Kansas City Royals dropped Game 1 of their series against the New York Yankees on Monday, falling 4-3. Kansas City is now 22-32 on the season and sits in fourth place in the AL Central.
While the Royals are still searching for consistency on offense, one player in Kansas City’s lineup appears to be heating up at the plate after a slow start to the season.
Not only is veteran catcher Salvador Perez closing in on a franchise record, but he has also been producing at the plate at a much higher level as of late.
Salvador Perez tied George Brett for the most home runs hit at Kauffman Stadium
During Monday’s loss, Perez launched his ninth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning, tying the game.
This was the veteran’s 312th career home run and his 136th at Kauffman Stadium, tying Hall of Famer George Brett for the most home runs in the ballpark’s history.
Perez is also just five home runs away from tying Brett for the Royals franchise record of 317 career home runs.
Not only is the Royals captain chasing milestones, but he has also been one of Kansas City’s more productive hitters during the month of May.
Over the last 15 days, Perez has slashed .292/.352/.542 with an .894 OPS and four home runs across 48 at-bats.
He now leads the Royals with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.
Perez got off to a rocky start this season. In April, he posted a .202/.243/.346 slash line with 23 strikeouts in 104 at-bats.
A slow start for the 36-year-old is not uncommon, as he followed a similar pattern last season. Despite getting off to a sluggish start in 2025, Perez still finished the year with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Perez also finished the season with a career-high 35 doubles.
We are starting to see a similar trend this season. After a rocky start, Perez has continued to swing the bat better as the season has progressed.
Over the last week, Perez has posted a .333 batting average with a 1.036 OPS across 21 at-bats.
If the catcher continues swinging the bat the way he has recently, he could once again become a key RBI producer for this Royals team while also setting a new franchise record.
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