Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez return to Royals’ starting lineup vs. Rangers
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- Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone returned to the Royals lineup Tuesday.
- Witt was taken out of Sunday’s finale due to right knee soreness.
- Royals entered Tuesday having won five of their prior seven games and two recent series.
The Kansas City Royals were at full strength against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone returned to KC’s lineup after a well-timed off-day on Monday. The trio dealt with relatively minor injuries that occurred during the Royals’ recent 10-game road trip.
Witt was back at shortstop for Tuesday’s series opener at The K. He was taken out of Sunday’s series finale against the Minnesota Twins with soreness in his right knee.
“Every day you show up to the field, you’re sore, you’re aching or whatever it is,” Witt said. “And so it’s just being able to manage it every day. … Just something that I’ve dealt with in the past, and so it’s nothing that (I’m) really too worried about now.”
Witt will bat second in the starting lineup. He is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 66 games this season.
The Royals will continue to monitor the injury. Witt has previously dealt with knee soreness and understands how to manage it with treatment.
“Just got to be smart and make sure I’m ready to go out there and help the team every day,” Witt said.
Perez was the Royals’ designated hitter Tuesday against Texas. He batted fifth in the lineup after missing the last two games with a sore right thumb.
Perez was hit in the hand by a wild pitch last Friday. He later experienced swelling around the thumb and was held out of action.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Perez is available to catch. But the team was playing it cautious as Perez returns to the lineup.
“He was available to go in there Sunday if need be,” Quatraro said. “So, he can do that again today. We’re just getting him an extra day.”
Caglianone is also back in the fold. The 23-year-old slugger batted sixth and patrolled right field against the Rangers.
On Sunday, Caglianone didn’t play against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Two days prior, he ran into the right-field wall during a game and hurt his right shoulder.
The Royals said Caglianone felt better after receiving treatment. And with the off-day, he was deemed ready to play on Tuesday night.
“We’re very optimistic about Jac today,” Quatraro said. “You know, going back and knowing that was a day game (Saturday) he came out of and getting him two days off. We thought today was going to be a no-brainer.”
Caglianone entered Tuesday’s game with a .444 on-base percentage in his last six games. He recorded 10 hits, five walks and four RBIs on the road trip.
The Royals will face the Rangers for the second time in as many weeks. Texas swept KC (May 29-31) at the start of its 10-game road swing.
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo recognizes the importance of this home series. He looked forward to seeing the lineup operating at full capacity on Tuesday.
“(Quatraro) just pointed out to me, when we made the move to put Carter (Jensen) in the leadoff spot, we only got one opportunity to have Bobby and Maikel (Garcia) 2-3 (in the order),” Picollo said. “So this will be the second time having them in the lineup together in that 2-3 spot which is great.
“But yeah, it’s good to see them all in there. And some other guys are banged up, but at least our position players are the guys we expect to play every day.”
The Royals have won five of their last seven games. The stretch includes two series wins, over the Cincinnati Reds and the Twins.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez return to Royals’ starting lineup vs. Rangers."
