Perez has designs on starting in 2012: Kansas City C Brayan Pena has been a backup for the Royals since the addition of rookie Salvador Perez on Aug. 10, reports MLB.com. According to manager Ned Yost, that is exactly how it will be next season. Yost sees Perez starting 130 or more games per season. (Updated 09/07/2011)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 2/23/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Perez entered Wednesday's game having gone 5 for 9 in his last two games with two runs scored, a double and an RBI. His batting average is right around .300 after close to 100 at-bats for the Royals and he's done a nice job defensively. With 130 or more starts per season, Perez is shaping up to be a solid mixed-league Fantasy catcher heading into next year. He can already be used in deeper formats. (Updated 09/07/2011).
02/20/2012 06:44 2012 Draft Prep: What you may have missed
Did you give up on your Fantasy Baseball team after the All-Star break last season? Well, you're not alone. But our Michael Hurcomb will tell you about some of the second-half surprises from 2011 and whether or not you should target those players on Draft Day this year.
02/18/2012 11:37 Royals agree to terms with 1B Hosmer, 3B Moustakas
The Royals agreed to contracts with first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-hander Luis Mendoza on Saturday, two days before pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training.
The Royals entered 2011 with a slew of prospects on Fantasy owners' radars, but one who probably wasn't was Salvador Perez, who had just begun to emerge as an offensive threat late in 2010. But lo and behold, come the end of 2011, he was one of the few Royals rookies who had honestly made a name for himself in Fantasy, taking over as the starting catcher upon his initial arrival in mid-August and compiling a .331 batting average in 148 at-bats. Now, he's both the team's present and future at the position. At age 21, he'll probably need a few years to reach his full potential in terms of power, but he's already capable of hitting for average even if his .331 mark isn't something you can expect him to sustain over a full season. Yadier Molina would be a reasonable comparison, especially given Perez's defensive prowess. Perez is still too unproven to rank as a No. 1 Fantasy catcher or even a high-end No. 2. But in leagues that start two catchers, he's a late-rounder with the potential to outperform his draft position. (Updated 1/9/12)