The Royals are currently standing last in the AL Central, and after surrendering the series to the Yankees, they needed some corrective actions. Manager Matt Quatraro made a few corrections before the second game against the Yankees, but it might have blown open the clubhouse turmoil in public.

While the Royals lost the game by 13-4, the eagle-eyed fans didn’t miss the absence of their All-Star catcher Salvador Perez from the lineup. “Just try to give him a little mental breather,” Quatraro said before the game. It was all fine until Perez himself took a dig at his manager after the game.

“I don’t need a mental breather,” Perez wrote on his X account after the game.

Perez carries a certain weight in the Royals clubhouse, and his public outrage means a lot for the franchise. The 35-year-old slugger is one of the greatest players in the Royals’ history. He already had a 15-year career with the Royals and is a 9x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, 5x Gold Glove winner, and the 2015 World Series MVP. So, the team benching for a day was already a mystery, which was further amplified by Perez’s rebuke.

“Just looking at the way things have gone, he’s played in every game,” Quatraro said before the game. “Day game after night game, Carter (Jensen) was going to catch today, and Salvy’s been struggling a little bit. Just try to give him a little mental breather.”

Not a bad justification, though, considering Perez was one among the four players in the clubhouse who played all the games since the 2026 opening game. It surely took a toll on the 35-year-old, even though 6 of his 20 starts were as a designated hitter. But what if the batter himself demands no rest in between?

So, if offering a “breather” was actually not the reason for the Royals manager to bench his $25 million catcher, the latter’s struggle on the plate surely was. From his 20 games in 2026, Perez is batting .160 with a .210 OBP, .517 OPS, 3 HRs, and 6 RBIs. Quatraro fielded him both as a catcher and a designated hitter, but Perez has yet to make a mark.

An off-day could have been effective in getting back his rhythm, but Perez disagrees. And as a result, the Royals’ lineup failed even without Perez, and their internal tussle came out in public.

The entire Royals lineup needs a breather

The second game against the Yankees proved that even without Salvador Perez, the Royals’ offense failed to put enough runs on the board. Maikel Garcia managed just one hit from his 4 at-bats. Bobby Witt Jr., the 20+ HR scorer from the last year, managed just 1 hit from his 3 at-bats.

Vinnie Pasquantino, the 30+ HR scorer from the last year, couldn’t manage a single hit from his 4 at-bats. The only positive for the Royals from the night was Carter Jensen, the replacement player for Perez. He scored 2 runs and 2 RBIs from his 3 at-bats, including a homer. The result was as dreadful as it could get, as after the second loss against the Yankees, the Royals are standing with a -25 run differential just 21 games into the season!

And the bullpen is making matters worse.

Remember Carlos Estevez’s blown game against the Braves. He gave up 6 runs without a strikeout. Then Lucas Erseg surrendered in the same way against the Tigers. He gave up 3 runs with just 1 SO. So, despite the Royals’ offensive struggle, their bullpen’s dwindling numbers aren’t going unnoticed.

Even their new additions, like Nick Mears and Alex Lange, have yet to offer enough fireworks at the bottom of the innings. So, we are almost certain that the Royals need some corrective actions, but singling out Perez might not bring out the best solution.