St. Joseph Post
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been named to his seventh All-Star Game.
Perez will be the American League’s starting catcher for the sixth time in his career, receiving 62% of the votes among the finalists at the position during Phase 2 of All-Star balloting.
He will represent the Royals at the 91st All-Star Game, which is set for Tuesday, July 13 at Coors Field in Denver.
Perez’s seven All-Star Game selections (2013-18, 2021) are the second most in franchise history, behind only George Brett’s club-record 13.
Salvy entered Thursday tied for sixth in the American League in home runs (19), eighth in total bases (159) and 10th in hits (87). Among big league catchers, Salvy tops the charts in hits, home runs, RBIs (48), extra-base hits (34) and total bases.
The remainder of the All-Star rosters, including pitchers and reserves, will be announced at 4:30 central on Sunday. during the All-Star Selection Show on ESPN.
Meanwhile Triple-A Omaha outfielder Bubba Starling was selected to the United States Olympic Team roster. Starling is one of 24 players selected to compete for Team USA in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The United States will open the tournament on Friday, July 30 vs. Israel.
The Team USA roster is comprised of 12 pitchers and 12 position players and will be managed by former Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia. The squad will begin their pre-Olympic workouts on Thursday, July 16 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
Starling, a native of Gardner, Kansas, was the Royals’ first-round selection (5th overall) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft and made his Major League debut in 2019.
He’s played in 24 games with Omaha this season, slashing .271/.323/.612 (23-for-85) with six doubles, a triple, seven homers and 17 RBIs. His slugging percentage ranks eighth in Triple-A East among players with at least 90 plate appearances.
The right-handed hitter appeared in 35 games with Kansas City during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.