Matt Quatraro Opens Up on Royals' Catching Plan for 2027

The Kansas City Royals have to figure out how to split time behind the plate next season between catchers Carter Jensen and Salvador Perez.

Manager Matt Quatraro spoke about that plan last week, and while he would not commit to a set number of games for either player, he did lay out where things stand right now.

Jensen became Kansas City's main catcher in his first full season in the majors and made the most of it, catching 106 games and starting 97 of them after catching just 10 games in his first stint in 2025.

He also hit .239 with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs, and those 27 homers broke Bob Hamelin's team rookie record of 24, set in 1994.

That is a lot to put on a 23-year-old, and he handled it well.

Perez spent much of 2026 as the designated hitter because of an elbow injury.

He started 82 games at DH, caught 44 games and played 25 games at first base, and he still hit 21 home runs and drove in 78 runs.

Before 2022, he regularly caught somewhere between 115 and 146 games a year, outside of seasons hurt by injury and the shortened 2020 season, so this was a big shift for him.

Quatraro said Jensen is now the starter, though he also said the team wants to do right by Perez, according to MLB.com.

"I think Carter has stepped up into that [primary] spot, and I think what's best for us is what's going to be best for Salvy."

Quatraro added that Perez has shown he can still be a good option in the middle of the order if he is hitting, whether that is at DH, at first base or catching, and that a lot will depend on how Perez feels and how Jensen holds up to catching every day.

I think this is the right call.

Jensen earned the job, and he looked like one of the best rookies in the American League in a season that has some people asking if he is already one of the best catchers in baseball.

Pitcher Michael Wacha, who made 32 starts and threw more than 200 innings, even let Jensen call his pitches this year and said throwing to him was night and day compared to 2025.

Perez still has plenty to offer, though.

The 36-year-old is the team's all-time home run leader, and he won the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award as part of the team's awards this month.

Next season is also the last year of the two-year deal he signed last offseason, which runs through 2027.

After going 69-93 and finishing fifth in the AL Central, the Royals need Jensen to keep growing and Perez to stay healthy and productive.

A split where Jensen catches most days and Perez moves between catcher, first base and DH gets Kansas City the best of both players.

With backup catcher Luke Maile electing free agency in October, Perez could end up as the main backup behind the plate, and I think that may be the best way to keep both bats in the lineup.