Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) should get some more at-bats in a minor league game on Thursday, but manager Mike Matheny said that Perez is tracking towards a return to the team soon. Perez began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday after taking batting practice over the weekend, and there's a chance the 32-year-old backstop could return to the Royals lineup at some point this weekend. He's been out since June 24 after having surgery on his left thumb. Perez was initially anticipated to miss around eight weeks, but it looks like he'll return well before that timetable. When he's activated, he'll return to a .211/.254/.426 slash line, 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 25 runs scored this year.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday. The 32-year-old underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb in late June. He was originally given a timeline of eight weeks, but it looks like he's on track to beat that estimate, assuming he can avoid setbacks. While we don't have an official timetable for Perez's return, it's unlikely he'll be at Triple-A more than a week or so, meaning we could conceivably see him back in the majors before the month of July is even over.

According to Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is nearing a return to the field. Per an article from Worthy on July 24, "Royals manager Mike Matheny ... indicated star catcher Salvador Perez continues to progress toward a minor-league rehab assignment of his own." Worthy's article also mentions that Perez has recently taken batting practice and caught bullpen sessions. The veteran's eventual return would certainly be a welcome sign for fantasy managers who have struggled to replace his production at catcher. In 236 plate appearances this season, the veteran is batting .211 with a .254 on-base percentage and 11 home runs.

Kansas City Royals skipper Mike Matheny said that catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) had successful surgery, and he was told that Perez would hopefully be able to return in eight weeks. Perez suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb and will be out for at least the next two months. The 32-year-old veteran was hitting just .211 with a .254 on-base percentage, but he did have 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 236 plate appearances over 57 games. At the weak catcher position, that's nothing to sneeze at, so Perez needs to remain stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy formats. MJ Melendez should operate as the Royals primary backstop with Perez sidelined, with Cam Gallagher serving as his backup.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is set to undergo surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. The Royals made this announcement on Friday while also stating that Perez was "expected to return this season." This is tough news for fantasy managers who are rostering the star catcher. Even if he indeed returns this season, it sounds as if his absence could be a lengthy one. Fantasy managers should continue to roster Perez until we get a better idea of what his timeline looks like. The Royals placed Perez on the 10-day injured list on Friday and activated outfielder Edward Olivares (quadriceps) in a corresponding move. With Perez out, there will be nothing standing in the way of MJ Melendez's playing time, making him a clear top-10 catcher in all formats for now.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is not in the starting lineup against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday after undergoing an MRI exam in the morning. Skipper Mike Matheny said that local doctors are figuring out what's next, and Perez's status is currently uncertain. The 32-year-old slugger left Tuesday's game early after apparently aggravating his left thumb injury that previously landed him on the injured list. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now, but also prepare for the possibility of a return to the IL. Perez is hitting just .211/.254/.426, but he does have 11 home runs and 34 RBI on the season in 223 at-bats. Kyle Isbel will do the catching on Wednesday and is hitting seventh against Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup on Friday against Houston Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy because of his thumb injury. Manager Mike Matheny is unsure if Perez will catch at all this weekend. In addition to Perez at DH, first baseman Carlos Santana is on the bench Friday. MJ Melendez is doing the catching and is hitting seventh, while Hunter Dozier is at first base and is batting sixth in the batting order. Since returning from a stint on the injured list, Perez has gone 1-for-19 at the plate with no home runs, and he's now slashing .187/.227/.355 with six home runs and 16 RBI on the year. His thumb injury is certainly something to watch as we move forward.

The Kansas City Royals activated catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) from the injured list on Saturday and optioned catcher Sebastian Rivero to the minors in a corresponding move. Perez is back behind the plate and is batting cleanup on Saturday against Minnesota Twins right-hander Chris Archer. The seven-time All-Star backstop is hitting just .206 (28-for-136) in 34 games this year, but he has six home runs and 16 RBI and remains one of the best power-hitting catchers in fantasy. Get him back into your lineups immediately in season-long leagues. Perez initially landed on the injured list with a sprained left thumb. MJ Melendez served as Kansas City's primary catcher with Perez sidelined.

The Kansas City Royals placed catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. He suffered a sprained left thumb during Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. The 32-year-old will continue to be evaluated and miss at least the next 10 days. Sebastian Rivero was promoted to the big league roster in a corresponding move. MJ Melendez will step in as Kansas City's primary catcher and should see an uptick in at-bats while Perez is sidelined. He is hitting 217 with an RBI and a run scored over nine games in 2022. Despite his struggles at the plate, the 23-year-old has upside and should be added in two-catcher formats.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) was removed from Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox due to a left thumb sprain. He was the team's designated hitter for the game and he went 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts before Carlos Santana came in to replace him. Following his historic 2021 season, Perez has certainly been underwhelming thus far in 2022. Over 33 games, he's slashing .203/.237/.398 with six home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs. We should have an update on the severity of his injury shortly so make sure to stay tuned.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (leg) was moved from catcher to designated hitter on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers after dealing with right leg discomfort that first popped up when he caught the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. Perez said he's feeling good, but he's constantly dealing with soreness as a catcher. It sounds like normal wear and tear for a backstop, and there's a chance Salvy is back at DH on Wednesday night against Texas. The seven-time All-Star has five home runs and 10 RBI in his first 27 games of the season, but he's also hitting just .196 (21-for-107). Regardless, his power abilities make him a must-start fantasy backstop every time he's in the lineup.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hand) is back in the starting lineup and is hitting third on Sunday against Seattle Mariners left-hander Robbie Ray. Perez was hit by a pitch on his left hand on Saturday and had to leave the game, but X-rays came back negative and he avoided a serious injury. The 31-year-old All-Star backstop faces a tough matchup in the series finale against Ray, but he's a must-start in all season-long redraft leagues. Perez has only 11 hits in his first 47 at-bats of the season for a .234 average, but he also leads the league with five round-trippers and has seven RBI and eight runs scored in his first 13 games of the year.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (had) underwent X-rays after leaving Saturday's loss to the Seattle Mariners early after being hit in the hand by a pitch. Royals manager Mike Matheny said, "x-rays came back negative on Perez's hand." He exited Saturday's game early after being hit by a pitch. The 31-year-old went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored in Saturday's loss before leaving. Perez is day-to-day and will most likely get Sunday off to rest his hand. Cam Gallagher replaced Perez and would handle catching duties if the Royals' star catcher were forced to miss any time.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (eye) is slotting in as the team's designated hitter for Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. Cam Gallagher is getting the start at catcher for the game. According to Royals manager Mike Matheny, Perez has been dealing with some blurred vision in his left eye. Matheny clarified that Perez is doing fine now, but that he wanted to give the veteran catcher a day off from being behind the plate. Perez has experienced some bouts with blurred vision in the past. Hopefully it won't be an ongoing problem this year for the 31-year-old, who is slashing just .188/.212/.406 through eight games.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez finally got his first hit of the 2022 season in Monday's 10-7 loss to the Guardians, going 2-for-4 with two singles, an RBI, and a strikeout. It was a welcome sight for fantasy managers, as the slugging backstop had gone 0-for-12 in his first three games. Perez planted himself as fantasy baseball's premier catcher option in the 2021 season, and there is no reason to think otherwise after just four games. Hopefully, these couple of hits can help get him going as the season gets underway.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez tied a franchise record with his 48 home runs last season, and he also set a new single-season record for home runs by a catcher. Perez credited his success to constantly studying pitchers' tendencies and months spent in the offseason in the batting cages. The power-hitting backstop had the highest barrel percentage of his career last year, and he also hit the ball harder more consistently. And Perez wasn't missing his pitches in the heart of the zone when opposing pitchers made mistakes. In total in 161 games in 2021, Perez slashed .273/.316/.544 with an .859 OPS, 48 home runs, a league-leading 121 RBI and 88 runs scored for the Royals. Because of the elite power he provides at the weakest position in fantasy, Perez heads into the 2022 season as RotoBaller's No. 1 backstop.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez wrapped up the best season of his 11-year career on Sunday. He finished the year with an MLB-leading 121 RBI and he also tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the major league lead in home runs with 48. He scored 88 runs and slashed .273/.316/.544 across the season. The 31-year-old had never topped 27 home runs or 80 RBI in a single season before this year. His career year was fueled by some elite power peripherals. He had a 56.2% hard-hit rate, which ranked in the 99th percentile, and he also ranked in the 94th percentile in both average exit velocity (93 mph) and xSLG (.554). While it will be hard for him to repeat anything like this next year, it's also going to be hard to justify taking another catcher over him in fantasy drafts next spring.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (ankle) is in his usual No. 3 spot in the lineup for Thursday's game against Shane Bieber and the Cleveland Indians. He's playing designated hitter in the game. Perez sprained his ankle after tripping on the steps in the team's dugout during Wednesday's game. He was removed from the game and replaced by Cam Gallagher. It's great to see Perez back in the lineup just a day after the injury as he is chasing down a home run crown. He's homered in two straight games and he has an MLB-leading 48 homers on the year.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (ankle) left Wednesday's contest with a right ankle sprain, according to the team. The 31-year-old picked up the injury while backing up on a double play. It remains to be seen if Perez will miss the rest of the season with the ailment, as he has a chance of hitting 50 home runs. With 48 HR on the season, the most by a catcher in any season, Perez has had a magical year that has surely propelled fantasy managers to a title.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (undisclosed) was removed in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Indians with an apparent injury. He appeared to be hurt while backing up a double play in the top of the second inning, but it wasn't clear what he injured. Cam Gallagher entered the game to take over catching duties. Perez had already done damage before leaving the game. He hit a three-run home run, his MLB-leading 48th of the year, in the first inning of the game. We should have an update on the nature and severity of the injury later tonight.