Perez Prestige
Salvador Perez (KCR): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
It hasn’t quite been the most productive season for Royals catcher Salvador Perez.
In 412 plate appearances, Perez is hitting .210 with a .624 OPS. His batting average is 26 points down from a season ago, and his OPS is 106 points down as well. On a plus note, he still has been hitting a decent number of home runs, with No. 15 coming on Saturday in Detroit.
It wasn’t just that Perez hit his 15th home run of the season on Saturday against the Tigers. Rather, his latest home run happened to give him No. 318 of his career. That total makes him the Royals’ all-time home run leader, surpassing Hall of Famer George Brett, who previously held the record.
Perez’s career has certainly been polarizing, especially when it comes to his Cooperstown candidacy.
On one end, he certainly has the accomplishments to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. He’s a nine-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger, World Series champion and MVP, and Roberto Clemente Award winner. That said, his defense, mostly due to his framing, has been widely debated, which explains why his career fWAR is only 17.7 (his 35.1 bWAR is much better).
Perez is under contract for one more year, so it will be interesting to see how his career turns out by the end of the 2027 season. However, it was nice to see Perez not just set a new Royals franchise record, but do so while entirely playing in a Royals uniform. It’s getting rarer to see a player suit up with one team their entire career, let alone set records with that particular team.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB.
It was another “business-as-usual” day for Crow-Armstrong, as he had four hits, two doubles, a home run, and a stolen base against Paul Skenes and the Pirates. He also scored three runs and collected three RBI. With a .291 average, .934 OPS, 22 home runs, and 26 stolen bases, the Cubs outfielder is proving that his lackluster 2025 second half is way behind him.
Rafael Devers (SFG): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
Devers hasn’t been perfect in San Francisco, but he’s been a heck of a lot better since April. After posting a .515 OPS that month, he’s produced a .939 OPS in May, .833 OPS in June, and 1.015 OPS in July. He has 20 of his 22 home runs in those three months, and he’s posting a .908 OPS after the All-Star Break. On Saturday against the Angels, he had three hits, four RBI, and launched his 22nd home run of the year.
CJ Abrams (WSN): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Nationals hold onto Abrams, who is having a career year. He’s hitting .293 with a .921 OPS, and he has 25 home runs and 17 stolen bases. The defense stinks (-11 OAA), but on the offensive end, fantasy managers couldn’t ask for anything more from Abrams. The Nationals could get a haul for Abrams, even though he likely will need to move elsewhere in the field to maximize his value.
Cooper Pratt (MIL): 3-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, SB.
At 21-years-old, Pratt is doing all he can to hold his own in Milwaukee. The shortstop is hitting .281 with a .753 OPS in 112 plate appearances. He’s not showing a lot of power (two home runs), but the Brewers have had success with that type before. On Saturday against the Rockies, not only did he have three hits and a stolen base, but he hit that second home run as well. Pratt is showing the Brewers are set in the middle infield for years to come.
George Springer (TOR): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
After hitting 32 home runs and posting a .959 OPS for the AL Pennant winners last year, it’s been a crash back to earth for Springer. He has only 11 home runs, and his OPS is just .708. Injuries, which have been a problem in the past for Springer, have plagued him this year, explaining the sharp regression. Springer looked like his 2025 self on Saturday, with two hits, a home run, and three RBI.
Hao-Yu Lee (DET): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
The Tigers fell short against the Royals on Saturday, but Lee had a strong day at the plate. He had two hits, including a double and home run, as well as two RBI. The Tigers rookie infielder is hitting .273 with a .742 OPS in 185 plate appearances. He also has six home runs, his latest coming on Saturday against Kansas City’s Michael Wacha.
Austin Wells (NYY): 1-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB.
Speaking of decline, no catcher has been worse than Wells. He’s hitting .166 with a .546 OPS in 236 plate appearances, and his seven home runs are a fraction of what he produced in 2025 (21 HRs). In Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Phillies in Philadelphia, Wells, the Yankees’ nine-hole hitter, hit a key home run off Phillies pitcher Brian Keller. Wells may no longer be his 2025 self, but at least he can show moments when needed.
Kyle Tucker (LAD): 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB.
The Dodgers didn’t give Tucker a mega-deal to be mediocre. And yet, he has just nine home runs, a .241 average, and .715 OPS in 409 plate appearances. It’s the Dodgers, so they can afford to absorb a bad contact like Tucker’s if he continues this downward regression. However, $240 million seems a little pricey for a bottom-of-the-order hitter.
Gunnar Henderson (BAL): 1-4, HR, R, RBI.
As with most hitters on the list, Henderson has been disappointing after being an All-Star in previous seasons. The homers are there, with 18, which surpasses last year’s mark in nearly 200 fewer plate appearances. Unfortunately, his average is down, as is his OPS. There’s still some upside and production there with Henderson; it’s just that it’s been a rough year for him, the Orioles, and fantasy baseball managers who rostered him.
