Return of forgotten Royals catcher only makes Salvador Perez’s role look even shakier

The Kansas City Royals can’t seem to catch any injury breaks this season and on Thursday, they were forced into roster creativity to address one of their team’s latest ailments. After it was revealed that Salvador Perez was dealing with left elbow soreness, the Royals needed to find some catching cover for Carter Jensen. In doing so, they selected the contract of veteran Luke Maile to make his return to the big league roster ahead of Thursday’s game versus Tampa Bay.

The Royals sent down outfielder John Rave to make room for Maile’s return, who’d spent his 2026 season in Triple-A Omaha since late-April. As Royals fans might forget though is that Maile’s status this season was somewhat in doubt this spring after he was removed from the spring training roster due to a personal issue.

However, the bigger story here is obviously the reason why Maile was called up, Perez’s health. Amid a season defined by underperformance, Perez has looked less and less like a starting-caliber option for the Royals all of a sudden.

While he may’ve dipped below the 100 wRC+ average in 2025, his 30 HR and 100 RBI still made him a worthy addition to the middle of the Royals’ lineup and Silver Slugger finalist nominee. This season though, his .201/.241/327 slash line and 51 WRC+ have taken things to a whole new level. He’s not just below-average overall, he’s essentially unplayable. If it weren’t for his captain status and his standing as a Royals legend, perhaps we’re looking at DFA candidate.

And if his body is now breaking down, things may’ve just gone from bad to worse.

Royals shouldn’t be quick to abandon three-catcher system, even if Perez is healthy

Now, when a third catcher like Maile is promoted, it’s not exactly the biggest news. That’s especially the case when it’s for injury reasons like this move was rooted in.

However, in this instance, perhaps this shouldn’t just be a move for injury cover. Perhaps this move should be more of a permanent move.

As a permanent fixture in Kansas City’s leadoff spot, Carter Jensen looks more and more like the Royals’ top catching option by the day – especially during his recent hot stretch. However, beyond the aforementioned woes at the plate, from a catching standpoint, Perez looks far less comfortable than he once was.

Besides a 61st percentile caught stealing above average mark, Perez’s advanced metrics behind the dish look weak to put things lightly. He ranks below the 30th percentile in blocks above average and pop time and most notably in the third percentile in frame rate. These are certainly not numbers you’d expect from a five-time Gold Glove winner insinuating that perhaps his best days defensively are well behind him.

With everything going wrong for Perez this season, perhaps it’s time the Royals focus on one thing at a time and not fighting Father Time from all angles. Bringing Maile back into the fold gives them an avenue to do so. Perez can now dump all of his focus into righting himself at the plate and not having to worry about calling a proper game behind the dish on a regular or even semi-regular basis.

Like the scout in Moneyball once said, “we’re all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children’s game, we just don’t… don’t know when that’s gonna be”. In this case, with how important Perez is to the makeup of this clubhouse and overall team morale, it’s important he’s around. Perhaps Maile’s presence alleviates some pressure off him and the Royals as they find the best way to keep him involved into the future.