Salvador Perez is back in starting lineup for Kansas City Royals following injury
Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will be in the starting lineup on Thursday night following a injury that forced him out of the previous night’s game after just two innings.
He’ll serve as the designated hitter and bat third in the series finale against the Cleveland Indians.
Perez left Wednesday night’s game with a sprained right ankle after he fell coming down the dugout steps in the second inning of the Royals’ 10-5 win over the Indians at Kauffman Stadium.
The injury came on the heels of him having launched his major-league leading 48th home run of the season, a three-run blast 439-feet to center field in the first inning.
That homer tied Perez with friend and former teammate Jorge Soler for the most in a single-season in franchise history. Soler hit 48 in 2019.
Prior to his second at-bat of the night, Perez had to be helped up by teammates in the dugout as he got hurt coming off the field at the end of the second inning.
Perez did bat in the second inning when his spot in the lineup came up. He struck out to end the inning, and backup catcher Cam Gallagher took over behind the plate at the start of the third inning.
Perez had not talked with Matheny after the game when he got on a postgame video conference with reporters, but Perez expressed a desire to be in the lineup on Thursday night, provided he feels OK.
The Royals have four games remaining this season. Perez’s next home run would set the franchise record, and he’s still in position to finish the season with the most home runs and RBIs in the majors.
Perez led the Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by two homers and the Chicago White Sox’s Jose Abreu by eight RBIs entering Thursday.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 2:35 PM.
