Perez Rests, Diaz Joins Royals Lineup

0:00It's April 19th. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where the game meets AI, I'm Cory with the story. Salvador Perez got his first day off since last August on Saturday, and he's shutting down any drama talk with Royals manager Matt Quattraro. Before Sunday's finale against the Yankees, Perez said there's zero frustration between them, insisting folks can speculate all they want. But he's. Focused. Quattraro called it a mental breather for the veteran catcher, but Perez fired back on social media that night, posting he doesn't need one. He explained, big leakers have off days, especially playing 162 games behind a plate. Perez is off to a rough start this season, hitting 160 with three homers and six RBI's in his first 20 games. Last year, the 35-year-old batted 236, popped 30 homers, and drove in 100 runs for his third such season. To ease Perez into more designated hitter-duty, he's already done it seven times this year. The Royals caught up catcher Alias Diaz from Triple A Omaha.

1:03Diaz, a career 247 hitter over 11 seasons, gives them a solid third option behind the dish. This move lets Perez rest those knees while keeping the line up strong, and with Diaz settling in, expect the Royals to roll deeper into the season, with fresh legs across the board.