Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez, left, heads home as third base coach Vance Wilson looks on after Perez's home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

The major league leader in home runs is a pitcher, and he needs no introduction.

The guy in second place is a catcher — and that’s pretty remarkable in its own right.

Kansas City’s Salvador Perez has been on an extended tear since the All-Star break, and he now has 38 home runs on the season, just three behind major league leader Shohei Ohtani. Perez is on track to set an American League record for most homers by someone who played at least 75% of his games behind the plate. Carlton Fisk set the previous mark of 37 in 1985, so as long as Perez catches enough games, he’ll surpass Fisk.

Perez has 17 homers in 40 games since the All-Star break. His 12 home runs in August have tied the team record for any calendar month. After missing the whole 2019 season following Tommy John surgery, Perez has 49 homers in 166 games since the start of 2020.

Perez’s solo shot off the Seattle Mariners’ Marco Gonzales (6-5) in the sixth was his fifth in five games. He started the series with grand slams in consecutive games, provided the deciding margin with a two-run homer Saturday, and then tied the game at 1 on Sunday. The Royals won Sunday’s game 4-3.

The 31-year-old Perez is a link between the current Royals and their championship team of 2015. In fact, he was the World Series MVP that year.

Kansas City is in fourth place now, and while veterans like Perez and Whit Merrifield have value, they are both over 30, and the team’s rebuild appears to have a ways to go.

The Royals do have the No. 3 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline in Triple-A shortstop Bobby Witt. Right-hander Brady Singer is 3-9 with a 4.87 ERA for Kansas City, but the 25-year-old is averaging about a strikeout an inning and the Royals have reason to be patient with him.