Kyle Davies was placed on unconditional release waivers by the Royals on Wednesday, clearing space on the 40-man and active rosters for catcher Salvador Perez, who was called up from Triple-A Omaha.
In 99 starts for the Royals from 2007 through this season, Davies had a 29-44 record and a 5.34 ERA. Davies was just 1-9 with a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts this season. Opponents were hitting .332 against him.
What a debut for Perez! Wearing, No. 13, Perez got his first hit, a single up the middle, drove in a run and scored one. He really dazzled with his work behind the plate. In the fourth, Perez picked off Casey Kotchman at first base. In the eighth, Perez zipped one down to third base to catch Sam Fuld, who had strayed off on a busted squeeze play.
Those were the first pickoffs by any Royals catcher all season.
