The loss of Salvador Perez for the season doesn’t just leave the Royals without one of the best defensive catchers in the game, but it also takes away the biggest and most proven power source in the middle of their lineup.
Perez, a two-time Silver Slugger, registered 70 RBIs or more in five of the past six games. He has also hit 20 home runs or more in each of the past four seasons. Last season he led the Royals in both RBIs (80) and homers (27).
One of the possible options the Royals could turn to in order to mitigate the loss of Perez’s bat has been in the major-league clubhouse since the start of full squad workouts.