Royals will stick with Salvador Perez in middle of lineup despite 2025 struggles
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals will keep Salvador Perez in key lineup spot despite 2025 slump.
- Perez holds a .234 average and .602 OPS across 77 at-bats with RISP.
- Manager Matt Quatraro cites Perez’s leadership and past success as rationale.
The Kansas City Royals have counted on Salvador Perez for a long time.
Perez is the lone remaining member of the 2015 World Series team. And he was the captain that guided the ship throughout an extended playoff drought.
It was easy to pencil in the Royals lineup. Perez would take his customary spot batting cleanup behind whoever was in front of him. In recent years, those players have changed over from Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas to Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino.
Perez was always dependable. He thrived with runners in scoring position and was a feared bat in the Royals lineup.
Just look at last season.
Perez hit .271 with 27 home runs and 104 RBIs. He appeared in 158 games and posted a .786 OPS (on-base plus slugging). In clutch moments, Perez found a way to drive in runs. He hit .329 with nine homers and 76 RBIs with RISP.
The numbers look pedestrian in 2025. Perez is hitting .234 with a .602 OPS and 23 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances with runners on base.
Perez ranks 141st among qualified hitters. In Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field, Perez struck out four times. Two of those strikeouts came with RISP and the Royals trailing.
So it begs the question: Would the Royals benefit from moving Perez further down in the batting order?
“Salvy swings and we know that,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s a free swinger. Going back two days ago, he is driving the ball all over the place in St. Louis. So, you know, there is no chance that we run away from Salvy. You know, he is a guy that gets hot and cold. He didn’t have a great day today but he picked us up huge in St. Louis.”
Perez is known to chase pitches. However, it seems he is chasing far too much and too often this season. Prior to Saturday’s game, Perez entered with a 45.3% chase rate and a 26.6% whiff rate, per Baseball Savant.
The Royals had two chances to potentially tie the game on Saturday. Perez came up with runners on second and third base in the fourth inning. He faced White Sox starter Adrian Houser and forced a full count. However, he flailed at a changeup in the dirt and was retired on strikes.
In the eighth inning, Perez had another opportunity. This time, the Royals had runners on first and third base and he swung wildly at two sweepers off the plate. He struck out for the fourth and final time as the Royals were denied once more.
The Royals wouldn’t be here without Perez. He is just one year removed from making his ninth All-Star game appearance. This offseason, he won his fifth Silver Slugger Award after a standout 2024 campaign.
It’s easy to see why Quatraro will stand by him. The Royals need Perez to produce if they have any hope of returning to the postseason. Although, it’s fair to wonder if KC can make a deeper playoff run with this version of Perez in the heart of the order.
Perez just turned 35 in May. The Royals also hold a club option for the 2026 season in his contract. Some days Perez will produce in a grand fashion. However, other days have been more difficult.
The Royals shifted Perez to the fifth spot in recent days. As Caglianone continues to find a rhythm in the big leagues, could Perez drop to either sixth or seventh?
Perez was needed on Saturday afternoon. His leadership, experience and veteran presence will continue to be important to the club. The Royals need Perez to hit; when he can’t, the flaws become even more evident — just as they were against the White Sox.
The Royals had a similar situation with Pasquantino and he turned it around. Quatraro is hopeful that Perez and others can do the same.
“That’s a prime example,” Quatraro said. “Earlier in the year, people were talking about moving (Pasquantino) in the batting order. You’ve got to stick with your guys. You’ve got to believe in the guys that we know can produce — and they will.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2025 at 7:34 PM.
