Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro gave veteran catcher Salvador Perez the day off April 18 for their game against the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n
Perez didn\u2019t want it \u2014\u00a0and if that wasn\u2019t clear to Quatraro before the game, it became clear to the public immediately after the Royals lost 13-4 in The Bronx.<\/p>\n
MORE: Royals\u2019 22-year-old\u2019s alarming mistake prompted team to call his parents<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need a mental breather,\u201d Perez wrote on his X account after the game.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t need a mental breather<\/p>\n \u2014 Salvador Perez (@SalvadorPerez15) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The statement was an obvious reference to Quatraro\u2019s comments to reporters before the game.<\/p>\n \u201cJust looking at the way things have gone, he\u2019s played in every game,\u201d Quatraro said, via Anne Rogers of MLB.com. \u201cDay game after night game, Carter (Jensen) was going to catch today, and Salvy\u2019s been struggling a little bit. Just try to give him a little mental breather.\u201d<\/p>\n Quatraro on giving Salvador Perez a day off today: \u201cJust looking at the way things have gone, he’s played in every game. Day game after night game, Carter was going to catch today, and Salvy\u2019s been struggling a little bit. Just try to give him a little mental breather.\u201d #Royals<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) April 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Perez, a nine-time All-Star, is hitting .160 with three home runs and six RBIs in his first 20 games of the season.<\/p>\n