Salvy earns 8th career All-Star selection
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KANSAS CITY -- For the eighth time in his career, Salvador Perez is an All-Star.
The Royals’ captain and veteran catcher was named to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard during the All-Star selection show on Sunday night.
• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: July 11 on FOX
Perez will represent the Royals as their All-Star candidate and will be one of three catchers on the American League roster -- joining the starter, Texas’ Jonah Heim, and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman -- on July 11 in Seattle.
Perez found out he officially made the All-Star team on Sunday morning before the Royals’ 9-1 win over the Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium -- a win, he said with a grin, that was fueled by the young players in the lineup.
In a team meeting prior to the game, manager Matt Quatraro told the group that its leader on the field and in the clubhouse would be representing Kansas City in Seattle.
“That was a nice moment,” Perez said. “... It means a lot. First, we play for the team. It’s about winning and losing. But I think everybody has a personal goal, and that’s one of them -- make it to the All-Star Game. Have a chance to be in the same group as a lot of stars. It means a lot. Especially for the family, you make a lot of family happy and proud of you. That’s a big thing, too.”
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Perez is the Royals’ stalwart backstop and leader of a young team finding its way. The 33-year-old entered Sunday slashing .253/.288/.454 with 15 homers and 40 RBIs in 75 games.
This is Perez’s first All-Star Game since 2021, the season he hit 48 homers to tie for the MLB home run lead and finished seventh in AL MVP voting. The last remaining member of the Royals’ 2015 World Series team, Perez is playing in his 12th Major League season. He made his first All-Star Game in 2013 to kick off a string of six straight Midsummer Classics, and he has started in six of his eight selections.
“I think every All-Star Game means a lot,” Perez said. “It means something to me, it’s important to me. … You try to have fun. Try to enjoy the moment. Because it’s super quick. So try to see all the players, ask about their families and try to [make] some new friends.”
Perez, who will be the only Royals’ All-Star in Seattle this month, ranks second in franchise history for most All-Star selections, behind George Brett’s 13.