Royals place Perez on DL with right intercostal strain
The Kansas City Royals have placed workhorse catcher Salvador Perez on the 10-day disabled list after he left Friday night's game against the Seattle Mariners in the 7th inning with a right intercostal strain.
As a corresponding move, the Royals recalled Cam Gallagher from Triple-A Omaha. In 68 games, the 24-year-old catcher is posting a .747 OPS with five homers.
Among catchers, only Buster Posey has appeared in more games than Perez since the beginning of the 2013 season.
The 27-year-old Venezuela native is putting together arguably the best season of his career, slashing .278/.308/.510 over 99 games with the Royals - who have found themselves in contention thanks to a 33-19 record spanning June and July.
In Perez's place, Drew Butera will take the majority of the work. The 33-year-old catcher has a .673 OPS in just 100 plate appearances so far this season.
Prior to the 2016 season, Perez and the Royals agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $52.5 million that will keep the five-time All-Star under team control through the 2021 season.