Why Royals catcher Salvador Perez left Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay Rays
Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez exited Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays early with soreness in his left hip.
Perez was the Royals’ designated hitter until the sixth inning, when he was replaced by pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio.
It was immediately unclear when Perez sustained the injury. Earlier in the game, he had hit a RBI double and slid into second base.
After the game, Royals manager Matt Quatraro confirmed that Perez had felt some discomfort while running the bases.
“It is left-hip soreness and he felt it rounding first base on the double,” Quatraro said.
Biggio stayed in the game as the Royals’ designated hitter. Backup catcher Freddy Fermin started the game behind the plate and remained at catcher.
Perez finished 1-for-3. He is now hitting .237 with two home runs and 16 RBIs this season. He has eight doubles in his last 11 games.
The Royals will monitor Perez, who received treatment after Thursday’s game, overnight. They face a quick turnaround, as they begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening.
“He just said he feels better now than when he came out of the game,” Quatraro said. “And as you can imagine, he said hold off on the lineup for tomorrow, as he wants to be in there.
“So we will give him every benefit of the doubt. They’ll get him checked out when we get to Baltimore.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM.
