Salvador Perez collected three hits in the Royals’ 4-3 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday, including his eighth homer of the season.
It was his second homer in four games and his third in the past nine. The veteran slugger is working with some diminished bat speed this season, in addition to his worst barrel rate since 2016. Perez is also struggling against four-seam fastballs, which isn’t a positive development for a 36-year-old. He’s posted useful fantasy numbers every season, but it’s fair to wonder if aging is finally catching up to him. He’ll try to continue his recent power stroke when the Mariners visit Kauffman Stadium beginning Friday.