Home / Sports / Salvador Perez's Struggles: Hard Hits Down, Chasing Pitches Up
Salvador Perez's Struggles: Hard Hits Down, Chasing Pitches Up
2 May
Summary
- Star catcher Salvador Perez's performance is below expectations in 2026.
- Perez's hard-hit rate and line drive rate have decreased significantly.
- He is chasing pitches out of the zone, contributing to his struggles.
The Kansas City Royals are currently in last place in the AL Central with a 12-19 record in 2026. A key reason for their struggles is the underperformance of veteran catcher Salvador Perez.
Perez, a highly regarded player in Royals history, is hitting just .200/.236/.350 through 30 games. His hard-hit rate has fallen to 39.6% from a career average of 46.3%.
Further compounding his issues, Perez's line drive rate is down while his ground ball rate is up. His chase percentage is in the first percentile, indicating a significant problem with swinging at pitches outside the strike zone.
Despite these offensive challenges, Perez is still expected to hit between 20 to 30 home runs in 2026. This projection suggests that even a down year for him would represent a solid performance for many other catchers in the league. Perez will look to improve his numbers on Friday night against the Mariners in Seattle.
