Kansas City Royals Questions for the 2015 Season

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Royals be able to limit Salvador Perez’s workload?

Last season, Salvador Perez appeared in 150 games. That workload tied Perez for 54th in games played among position players last year. His 146 games behind the plate were ten more than Jonathan Lucroy, who had the second highest total in games caught last year, and 16 more than Mike Zunino, the who caught the second most games in the American League.

It is no wonder that the bumps and bruises associated with being behind the plate caught up with Perez. Battling fatigue and a minor concussion during the second half of the season, Perez produced a .229/.236/.360 batting line with six home runs after the All-Star Break, drawing only three walks and striking out 46 times in 259 at bats.

Now thrust into more of a leadership role on the Royals, it is going to be tempting to keep him in the lineup. However, in order to maximize his effectiveness, Salvador Perez needs to get more days off, something which Ned Yost has realized. The only question is, how will they manage to get him that rest?

There may be a bit more of Erik Kratz in the lineup than we were accustomed to last season. Kratz, acquired with Liam Hendriks for Danny Valencia, appeared in 13 games for the Royals last year, with only five starts behind the plate. If Perez is going to get partial days off and slot in as the designated hitter, Kratz will need to make more than two starts a month.

It is certainly tempting to put Salvador Perez, a Gold Glove catcher with a solid bat, behind the plate every day. However, a little less Perez may lead to a far more effective player during the dog days of summer.

Next: Filling some large shoes