KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s early in the afternoon on this late-spring day, and the rain is coming. The puffy gray clouds are darkening above Kauffman Stadium. But Royals catcher Salvador Perez isn’t concerned about it while doing his daily duties. Having finished his rehab work for the day — the right-arm stretches he is currently limited to — he’s now sitting here in the clubhouse next to fellow catcher Martin Maldonado, thumbing through his iPhone at his locker.



As a reporter walks over, Perez glances up and smiles. Of course he’s happy to talk about baseball.



“You know how much I love to play,” Perez tells The Athletic. “It’s going to happen, but I’ve got to be patient.”



Patience in baseball-playing terms is not easy for the 29-year-old Perez, who has made the past six All-Star Games, won five Gold Glove Awards and a World Series MVP Award. Since he was called up in 2011, Perez has...