KC Royals: 3 big things to watch in club’s final 10 games

The KC Royals’ Salvador Perez already has 46 homers. Will he hit more?

Salvador Perez reached two milestones when he hit his 46th home run of the season Monday. He broke Johnny Bench’s single-season record for primary catchers and took over second place on Kansas City’s career homer list with 198, passing Mike Sweeney and bringing him, considering he has at least four years left with the Royals, within striking distance of George Brett’s 317.

How many more homers will Perez hit this season?

Two more will equal, and three more will snap, the club’s single-season best of 48 set two years ago by Jorge Soler. Considering Perez has 20 home runs since Aug. 1—an average of one every 2.4 games—those marks seem achievable.

Can Perez reach 50? That, too, isn’t an unreasonable expectation. Clubbing four homers in 10 games is certainly consistent with that current one per 2.4 games rate.

And who he’ll face down the stretch favors him. Perez has 68 homers—almost 35% of his career total—against the Tigers, Indians, and Minnesota. He’s also homered off two Tigers scheduled to pitch this weekend—Tarik Skubal twice, and Casey Mize once.

So, assuming Manager Mike Matheny plays him in all 10 games, Perez’s chances to hit 50 home runs look good.