KANSAS CITY -- He is a five-time Gold Glove catcher. A perennial All-Star. A four-time Silver Slugger. The fourth Royals captain in franchise history.

Now add agile first baseman to Salvador Perez’s resume.

Making his first appearance this season and 10th career appearance (fourth start) at first base, Perez made diving plays all over the right side of the infield in Friday night’s 8-5 win in 10 innings over the Twins at Kauffman Stadium.

“Salvador, he might be the best first baseman in the league,” starter Brady Singer said. “I mean, holy -- that was unbelievable. Diving all over the place, making good plays.”

The Royals are in need of a first baseman with Nick Pratto on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain for the foreseeable future, and they plan to rotate the position among Salvador Perez, Matt Duffy and Nicky Lopez. The Royals had a feeling whoever played Friday would see plenty of action, given Minnesota’s lefty-heavy lineup and Singer’s sinker-slider mix that induces ground balls.

Perez immediately showed he was capable -- and ready to put his body on the line -- when he dove for Max Kepler’s ground ball in the first inning. 

“I’m not used to it, but I kind of like it,” Perez said. “I feel like 100 pounds [lighter] without my catching stuff. Don’t have to wear a chest protector or anything.”

Feeling fresh, Perez and Singer teamed up for a few more outs before the biggest one of the night in the fifth inning. 

With two outs, Matt Wallner lined a pitch down the first-base line -- only for Perez to dive to his left and make the stop, get up and throw to Singer for the out. Singer, like most watching Friday, looked bewildered to see Perez make the web gem.

But he sure was grateful for it.

“When he dove in the first, it startled me for a second, like, ‘Oh, there’s Sal,’” Singer said. “But making that play in the fifth there, that saved the game. That gets through, you’re looking at two runs and changing the whole momentum of the game.”

What goes through the mind of Royals manager Matt Quatraro (and likely the training staff) when he sees the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Perez laying it all on the field for a play?

“Get up,” Quatraro said. “He made a nice play, really nice play. I just wanted to make sure we got the out and that he’s OK.”

In typical Perez fashion, he explained he was just doing his job.

“Today, I was a first baseman,” Perez said with a grin. “I saved some runs today.”

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was the hero of the game with a walk-off grand slam, but Perez, even though he went 0-for-4 at the plate, did whatever he could to help out. He’s used to guiding Royals pitchers behind the plate, so he had to take a backseat during mound visits -- except for the one he called himself.

When Carlos Hernández was pitching in the top of the eighth inning, Perez looked over to first-base umpire Sean Barber and asked how many mound visits the Royals had remaining. They had a couple, so Perez walked toward the mound and gestured for catcher Freddy Fermin to join him.

Even from behind the mound instead of the plate, Perez is still leading.

“It’s special,” Singer said. “For him to play first, diving all over the place and coming to catch. Blocking balls in huge situations. For him to keep that focus the whole entire game, then coming into catch, just a special player.”