Royals All-Star C Salvador Perez (hamstring) returns to lineup

Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez returns to the lineup Wednesday night against the Cleveland Guardians after missing two games with a left hamstring strain.

Perez, the team captain, is set to bat fourth against Cleveland.

Perez, 33, was injured while running the bases during Sunday's victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Perez was 6-for-9 in the series before leaving with the injury.

The eight-time All-Star is batting .258 with 15 homers and 40 RBIs in 84 games this season. Two seasons ago, Perez tied for the major-league with 48 homers and led the big leagues with 121 RBIs.

The long-time Royals star has 238 career homers, 772 RBIs and a .267 batting average in 1,338 games since breaking into the majors with Kansas City in 2021. He also has won five Gold Gloves for his stellar defense.