Salvador Pérez activated from the Injured List

Salvador Pérez rejoined the Royals in Summer Camp on Tuesday, ten days after he received word he had tested positive for the coronavirus. To rejoin a team, a player who has tested positive must have two negative tests in a row, be fever free for 72 hours, and be cleared by a doctor. Pérez indicated he never had any symptoms and felt fine.

Salvy felt good enough to participate in last night’s intraquad game, where he singled in his first plate appearance.

His return comes at a good time for the Royals, as they have suffered a blow to their catching depth. Cam Gallagher, expected to be Salvy’s backup, announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The Royals also placed catcher Meibrys Viloria on the Injured List for undisclosed reasons. To add more depth, the team added catchers Freddy Fermin and Allan de San Miguel to the 60-man club pool, and signed former Diamondbacks catcher Oscar Hernandez.

Salvador Pérez missed the entire 2019 season after an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. The six-time All-Star hit .235/.274/.439 with 27 home runs in 129 games in 2018. If neither Gallagher nor Viloria is ready to start the season, the backup catcher job could go to Nick Dini, who hit .196/.270/.357 in 20 games with the Royals last year.