Salvador Perez decline seems more manageable for Royals after latest Carter Jensen comments

The Kansas City Royals have been blessed for over a decade with not having to worry about who will man the all-important position of catcher. This is thanks to the 9-time All-Star and World Series Champion in Salvador Perez, who's not only been their starting catcher, but the lifeblood of this franchise as their team captain. However, in year 15 of his career, Perez isn't getting any younger, and in almost every case in baseball, with age comes decline.

At his peak, Perez was a 40-homer and 160 wRC+ threat with excellent game-calling skills and Gold Glove capabilities behind the dish. But after a 2025 season where the run production was still there, but the offensive profile dipped below average in a lot of ways with a 95 wRC+, as well as his painful start to 2026, the overwhelming thought of Salvy entering his twilight years has entered many fans' minds. Luckily, some great prospect catching depth, headlined by his current Royals' catching mate in Carter Jensen has eased fans minds about life beyond Perez. And Jensen's recent comments on the MLB Network only furthered that ease of mind.

Being a Kansas City native and lifelong Royals fans the MLB Central crew asked him what that meant to him and it's clear Jensen is loving every minute of it and is seemigly not taking his situaton for granted.

"It's a dream come true," Jensen said about suiting up for his childhood team. "It's so hard to describe the feeling."

The lifelong passion he's had for the Royals is an exciting thought considering how promising a prospect he is. However, it's how he's been a sponge when in the daily presence of an all-time great in Perez, which he elaborated on in his interview on Friday, that should make excited about the new generation of backstop being ushered in.

"He's the best teammate I've probably ever had," Jensen said. "To be able to learn from him and really have him take me under his wing and show me the ways, it's been amazing."

"Most importantly it's relationships with pitchers, especially with work ethic." he said. "You can't play as long as he has without the work ethic and the drive to want to win and want to play the game."

The offensive stats have been nice when it comes to Perez, but as crazy as it sounds, sometimes they feel like added bonuses when compared to the teammate he is, the leadership he brings to the table and the captivating and loveable personality he displays night in and night out. The fact that Jensen appears to be taking advantage of that and learning from him everyday should be a welcome sight to all Royals fans.

Carter Jensen's budding offensive prowess makes him more than simply a backstop

As it stands right now, Jensen's value for the Royals is more than just the presence he brings behind the plate, he's becoming one of the more reliable hitters in this lineup. His four homers, 10 RBI and .446 SLG lead all Royals hitters this season while his .721 OPS places him within the top three.

This has been especially a blessing considering just how down this offense has looked overall to start the new campaign, especially with underwhelming outputs from stars like Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino.

Is there still room for Jenses to grow? Of course. His 32.3% K-rate to just an 8.1% walk rate isn't ideal and he's still developing behind the dish too with a very below average -2 blocks above average rate compared to his above average framing, caught stealing mark and pop time.

However, he's a legitimate Rookie of the Year threat at just 22-years old, so the future is as already as bright as ever. And with a mentor like Perez teaching him, perhaps the sky's the limit for Jensen.

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