Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Fermin is on the bench for the third time in four games, this time against a lefty (Tarik Skubal) after his previous two absences came against right-handed pitching. The Royals had been opening up regular playing time for Fermin behind the plate by using Salvador Perez at first base, but Perez has been taking on more work at catcher lately with Yuli Gurriel gaining traction as a regular in the Kansas City infield.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: On bench Monday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Fermin will be on the bench for the second day in a row, but he should be a semi-regular presence in the lineup over the final two weeks of the season while the Royals give veteran catcher Salvador Perez time off behind the plate and deploy him at first base or designated hitter. Though he's mustered an underwhelming .505 OPS thus far in September, Fermin has been a near-league-average hitter (101 wRC+) with a .286/.335/.387 slash line over 344 plate appearances for the season.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Getting rest Sunday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Fermin was behind the plate for all nine innings of Saturday's 5-1 win, so he'll be given a breather for the day game Sunday. Salvador Perez will handle catching duties for Kansas City.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Rare steal in win
Rotowire
Fermin went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Pirates.
Fermin has gone a modest 6-for-28 (.214) over 10 games in September. He's seen the bulk of the work behind the dish since Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) got hurt, as Salvador Perez has seen more frequent looks at first base. Fermin has been quietly decent this year with a .286/.335/.387 slash line, six home runs, 36 RBI, 39 runs scored and two steals across 344 plate appearances.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Not in lineup
Rotowire
Fermin isn't part of the Royals' starting lineup for Friday's game against Pittsburgh.
The Royals have seemingly settled into a routine behind the plate, starting Fermin for a pair of games and then giving him a night off in favor of Salvador Perez, who has otherwise been manning first base. Kansas City has utilized this arrangement for a nine-game stretch, and with Fermin catching the past two games, it'll be Perez's turn behind the dish Friday.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Getting rest Monday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
Fermin will get a breather for the series opener after he caught both of the Royals' final two games of the weekend series with the Twins. Salvador Perez will pick up a start behind the dish Monday while Yuli Gurriel draws a start at first base.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Philadelphia.
After making seven consecutive starts, Fermin has been absent from the starting nine in back-to-back games. The 29-year-old will yield to Adam Frazier at DH on Friday. Fermin is slashing .301/.351/.421 across 283 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Not in Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Fermin is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Minnesota.
The Royals will go with Salvador Perez at catcher and Michael Massey at designated hitter for their series opener against the Twins. Fermin has gone just 3-for-20 at the plate across his last five games.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.
The 29-year-old will yield to Paul DeJong at DH on Friday. In his last seven games, Fermin is 10-for-29 (.345) with a homer, six RBI and a run scored.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Getting rest Tuesday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.
After starting six straight games -- four at DH, two at catcher -- Fermin will have the night off Tuesday. The 29-year-old is slashing .304/.352/.429 with a 18.4 percent strikeout rate in 245 plate appearances.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Fermin went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Cubs.
Fermin has gone 6-for-19 with two extra-base hits over his last six games. The catcher's playing time has remained limited despite his recent good form at the plate. For the season, he's up to five homers, 24 RBI, 29 runs scored, 10 doubles and a .294/.344/.423 slash line over 65 contests. Fermin is good for two or three games per week between catcher and designated hitter.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Heading to bench Friday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.
Fermin started the previous six games, splitting his time between catcher and DH, but he'll receive a day off after he went 7-for-20 with two walks, two RBI and four runs during that span. Adam Frazier will serve as Kansas City's designated hitter Friday.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Racks up three hits
Rotowire
Fermin went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Rockies.
Fermin has three multi-hit efforts over his last eight games, but that's a span that dates back to June 20. The backup catcher is making the most of his opportunities this year, slashing .303/.355/.439 with four home runs, 19 RBI, 24 runs scored and nine doubles over 169 plate appearances. Fermin's reliability has allowed Salvador Perez to rest or serve as the designated hitter regularly. Fermin's playing time had declined while Michael Massey was limited to designated-hitter duties, but Massey has been cleared to play the field and should see more time at second base in the second half.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Drives in two in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Fermin went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Marlins.
The Royals' offense was stuck in neutral until the eighth inning, but Fermin capped a five-run outburst with a two-run single. The 29-year-old had been on the bench the prior three games with Michael Massey serving as the DH in his return from a lower-back strain, which kept Salvador Perez behind the plate. But playing time should open up for Fermin again once Massey is ready to resume defensive duties at second base. On the season, Fermin is slashing .294/.340/.434 with four homers, 18 RBI and 21 runs in 48 contests.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.
Fermin is on the bench for the second day in a row, but his playing time could be on the upswing nonetheless while he's produced a .271/.314/.500 slash line through the first three and a half weeks of June. In addition to filling in at catcher on days that top backstop Salvador Perez gets days off behind the dish, Fermin will factor into the equation at designated hitter, where he had made two of his last three starts.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Playing time picking up
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Fermin remains the Royals' No. 2 catcher, but he's been playing more than the typical backup of late due to Kansas City's willingness to deploy top backstop Salvador Perez at first base or designated hitter on his non-catching days. With Perez serving as the Royals' DH for Thursday's day game, Fermin will pick up his fourth start in five games. Fermin is hitting .298 with two home runs, 17 runs and 13 RBI over 122 plate appearances on the season, and his recent surge in playing time could be enough to make him a viable option in AL-only leagues or mixed leagues that start two catchers.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Working behind plate Wednesday
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
He'll be rewarded with his third start in four games after going 4-for-7 with a walk, an RBI and two runs between his previous two turns behind the plate. The Royals will likely continue to make room for Fermin in the lineup when the team opposes left-handed pitching, but his opportunities against right-handers will likely remain more limited while top backstop Salvador Perez is healthy.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Workload picking up
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Fermin will be behind the dish for the fifth time in seven games while Salvador Perez gets a day off from catching and serves as the Royals' designated hitter. Nelson Velazquez has served as the Royals' primary DH all season, but he's been occupying more of a part-time role of late as manager Matt Quartaro has look to make room in the lineup for Fermin, who has gone 5-for-18 with a solo home run and three walks over his last six games.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Scores run in win
Rotowire
Fermin went 2-for-3 with one double and one run in Sunday's win against the White Sox.
Fermin has totaled 15 at-bats with two runs and three hits over five games played as the main backup to starting catcher Salvador Perez. The 28-year-old hasn't built upon his solid .782 OPS from the 2023 campaign, as Fermin has just a .467 OPS through the small sample this year.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Projected as backup catcher
Rotowire
Fermin is projected to be the Royals' backup catcher to begin 2024, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The Royals recently signed Austin Nola, but he's viewed as an experienced depth option. Fermin has gone 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout over two Cactus League games. With Salvador Perez in the latter half of his career, it wouldn't be surprising to see Fermin shoulder more of the workload behind the dish, which could see Perez take more games at first base or designated hitter.
