Salvador Perez is hot, but Royals must still be careful about him for 2026 season

The whispers about Salvador Perez seem to get a little louder with each passing year and every new slump. Probably out of deferential respect for all his accomplishments, and the impact the passage of time will inevitably have on his storied Kansas City Royals career, few of those whispers become demands for his release, trade, or retirement. But especially on social media, where just about anything goes, the concerns about Perez still find their stage.

And that's been the case this season. Fueled by an especially slow start — Perez ended May, the campaign's second full month, slashing .220/.260/.346 and had homered only four times — speculation began to surface that the nine-time All-Star who owns five Gold Gloves and whose five Silver Sluggers outnumber every past and present Royal, including George Brett, was washed up, or very close to it.

Oh, how things have changed since May became June. Looking more and more like himself, Perez has been on fire at the plate.

Since June 1, and through Wednesday's KC victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, during which he went 2-for-4 and slammed his fifth homer in four games, he's hitting .301 and has clubbed 14 homers and driven in 36 runs. And in July, he's slashing .368/.411/.853 with a 1.264 OPS and nine homers.

Sizzling? Yes. Encouraging, especially considering how much the Royals need Perez to be Perez down the stretch? Of course.

But no matter how hot he is now, the Royals still need to be cautious about his contract status for next season.

The Royals must take care when it comes to Salvador Perez and 2026

Perez is playing out what was the franchise's biggest contract ever until the club signed Bobby Witt Jr. to his mega-deal before last season began. What comes next for Perez is yet to be determined, and probably won't be until sometime this winter.

The possibilities are these. The Royals can pick up their club option for $13.5 million, which would mean Perez plays next season for $8.5 million less than they're paying him this year — or buy him out for a mere $2 million and allow him to become a free agent. (Because he means so much to the franchise and its fans, don't expect principal owner John Sherman to direct general manager J.J. Picollo to do the latter). Or, Sherman and Picollo could negotiate a new multi-year deal with Perez.

Although exercising their club option is probably the soundest way to go, how the Royals approach keeping Perez is anyone's guess. What ought to be certain, though, is that the club shouldn't let Perez's current hot streak unduly influence its decision.

Perez, after all, is nearing the end of his superb career. He's 35, and 2026 will be his age-36 season. While many players still thrive in their mid-30s, Perez has spent most of his potentially Hall-of-Fame career behind the plate, enduring the physically-battering trials and tribulations of a big league catcher. Yes, he's playing first base and DH-ing more and more, but the physical toll of catching for so many years won't disappear.

Both those factors — age and the taxing effects of catching — will increasingly impact Perez's performance as Father Time creeps closer and closer to overtaking him. It could happen at any time, and will likely do so sooner rather than later.

The Royals need to enjoy everything Perez is currently giving them, and hope he stays hot down the stretch. But at the same time, they need to keep his hot streak in context. Although he has a couple of decent seasons ahead of him (and hopefully more), he isn't getting any younger. The temptation to overspend must be avoided.