In the top of the sixth inning in Thursday’s contest between the Royals and the Rays, Salvador Perez was removed from the game for pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio. Needless to say, the move raised some eyebrows. We now know that the former All-Star exited due to left hip soreness.
You can not overstate the value that the soon-to-be 35-year-old catcher has for this Kansas City squad. After a couple down seasons, Perez was a massive element in the Royals’ run to the postseason in 2024, hitting 27 home runs with a 115 wRC+ and accumulating a 3.2 fWAR.
The surface numbers haven’t been as good so far in 2025 — Perez entered the day slashing .235/.279/.374 — but the underlying data paints a much more positive picture. In fact, Perez sits in the 96th percentile in expected batting average (.323), the 95th percentile in expected slugging (.596) and the 92nd percentile in expected wOBA (.406). With Kansas City sitting dead-last in the American League in both ISO (.100) and wRC+ (72), the team can not afford to lose Perez for any extended period of time.
