Change of plans: Royals catcher Salvador Perez to start in All-Star Game

The Royals’ lone representative in the All-Star Game will be in the starting lineup Tuesday night.

Salvador Perez will start the All-Star Game for the fifth straight season. The game will be played Tuesday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Perez, 28, was originally picked as a reserve, but he was plugged into the starting lineup Saturday after the injury of Tampa catcher Wilson Ramos.

Perez, who homered in Saturday’s win against the Chicago White Sox, is batting .221 with 13 homers and 41 RBI this year. He missed the first four weeks of the season with a knee injury.

He trails only George Brett in All-Star starts as a member of the Royals. Brett started in nine summer classics.

This story was originally published July 14, 2018 at 9:14 PM.