How KC Royals plan to manage playing time for three catchers with Cam Gallagher back

Adequately juggling playing time for three catchers doesn’t seem feasible, especially when the starter is a franchise icon with seven All-Star appearances, four Silver Slugger Awards and five Gold Glove honors like Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez.

The young up-and-coming catcher MJ Melendez has opened eyes with his performance and potential in his first taste of the major leagues this season, and the Royals have long anticipated him being an impact player.

So the return of backup catcher Cam Gallagher on Monday was simultaneously welcomed and presented a bit of a logjam. MLB roster rules went into effect on Monday that limited teams to 13 pitchers on their active roster. The Royals optioned relief pitcher Matt Peacock to Triple-A to make room for Gallagher and to get down to 13 pitchers.

“The idea, more than anything else is — like today with MJ DH-ing and then the day Salvy DHs — that’s a tough spot if you need to come pickup the catcher and then you’ve got to cover,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said.

“We’ve got more guys on the bench now, so you could rationalize that, but it’s just the kind of position you just don’t want to come up short in your coverage. And it gives us the ability to bring somebody else in without burning that spot with the DH being in the game and eventually having to have the pitcher hit.”

With the Royals forced to add an additional position player, it made sense to activate Gallagher, who’d been on a minor-league rehab assignment since May 31, particularly with Perez and Melendez regularly in the lineup at the same time.

Melendez will play right field, catcher and designated hitter. Perez typically serves as the designated hitter when he’s not catching. Last season when he led the majors in home runs and RBIs, Perez played 161 of 162 games with 120 starts at catcher.

This season, Perez has struggled to find consistency at the plate. He went into Monday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels slashing .206/.248/.413 with a team-high 10 home runs. He’s tied with rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. for the team lead in RBIs with 32. In his last 15 games entering Monday, Perez slashed .271/.317/.593 with four home runs and 16 RBIs.

The left-handed hitting Melendez, 23, has slashed .254/.348/.455 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in his first 40 games in the majors. He has started games at catcher (22), right field (six) and designated hitter (10).

Melendez continues to get pregame work at third base, a position he played minimally in the minors last season. He also worked at third base during spring training.

“Salvy is our catcher,” Matheny said. “A lot of it is going to be on how he feels. If he’s not feeling good, we’ve shown we can run MJ a couple days in a row and Salvy will DH. But when he’s feeling good, he’s going to catch.

“There’s going to be plenty of days when MJ is going to get opportunities behind the plate, but meanwhile right field is a really good option. We’ll get him a little bit of a look and more work at third base, but that’s not necessarily at the forefront of our minds. It’s just kind of keeping him as flexible as possible.”

Gallagher had been the primary backup catcher since the Royals traded Drew Butera in August 2018. He’ll likely end up with the short end of the playing time divide.

“When the starts make themselves available, it will be MJ,” Matheny said. “We talked with Cam about that. We’re not sure exactly how this is going to work for him, but he’s just going to have to stay sharp.”

Gallagher suffered a left hamstring strain in a game on May 2, that forced him onto the IL. He’d performed well as the club’s primary backup, excelling at working with the pitching staff and receiving high marks for pitch framing (highest among Royals catchers).

In limited playing time this season, Gallagher had gone 5 for 16 (.313) with a .353 OBP to go with two doubles, two RBIs and a walk.

Gallagher was not in the lineup for Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, and he arrived in Anaheim on Sunday night. He said he still felt the effects of the hamstring strain in his first week of his rehab assignment, but he now feels back to 100 percent.

He also said he kept in contact with teammates via calls and text while away from the club, and he kept a close eye on the pitching staff.

“It is what it is,” Gallagher said of likely having limited playing time. “I’m here. No complaints. Whenever my name gets called, I’ll be ready whether that’s coming in late, starting games or whatever. If somebody goes down, I’m ready. There’s no excuses.

“We’re back here in the big leagues. That’s where I want to be. I’ll do whatever I have to do to help make the team win. Whenever my name gets called, I’ll be ready.”