Royals Temperature Check: Starting Pitching Success & Struggling Bats

It is now halfway through April in the MLB season. Teams have started to fully take shape, and trends are beginning to emerge. 

The Royals are still looking to find their stride, particularly on offense, with a 7-11 record before game action on Thursday. Let’s take a look at who has been hot and who is still looking to find their stride in the early stages of the 2026 season.

Who's Hot? 🔥

Michael Wacha

Wacha has had an excellent start to his 2026 campaign, and his last start on Saturday was no exception. Wacha pitched for eight innings, striking out seven batters while only allowing five baserunners. After that start, his season ERA is down to 0.43 with a WHIP of 0.714 in 21 innings pitched.

In his three starts this season, Wacha has excelled in getting hitters to whiff at and chase the ball out of the strike zone. So far, his chase rate is up from 28.2% to 34.3% this season, and his whiff rate is up from 21.3% to 29.5%. 

Wacha’s changeup has been his best pitch so far, with a Stuff+ of 131 according to Fangraphs. His changeup has been especially helpful against left-handed batters, where he throws it just as often as his fastball. This has helped him hold lefties to a slash line of only .128/.212/.21,3 which are currently better than his marks against right-handed batters.

Wacha will look to continue his strong form against the Yankees on Friday.

Kris Bubic

Bubic has also seen success on the mound to start the season. On Friday, Bubic threw seven innings with 11 strikeouts while only allowing three baserunners. After that performance, Bubic’s season ERA is now 2.50 across 18 innings with a WHIP of 0.833.

Bubic’s Stuff+, according to TJStats, has been excellent with a 102 overall Stuff+ and only his sinker grading below average. Like Wacha, Bubic has also seen an increase in chase and whiff rates to start the season. His chase rate is sitting at 32.4%, and his whiff rate is at 37.6%, in the 98th percentile of all pitchers this season. His slider has stood out so far, forcing batters to whiff 63.6% of the time.

Bubic is also set to appear against the Yankees this Thursday, where he will look to set the tone in quieting the often loud bats of the Bronx Bombers.

Jac Caglianone

Caglianone had a strong week, going 5-for-15 with a slash line of .333/.389/.600. He also showed some skill in the field with an outfield assist, throwing out Zach McKinstry at the plate on Wednesday. 

Caglianone is showing strong improvements at the plate compared to his rookie season. Last season, he was relatively unlucky for his batted-ball profile, and the numbers are starting to reflect his expected marks from 2025. He is excelling at hitting the ball hard with an average exit velocity of 93.1 mph, a barrel rate of 12.9%, and a hard-hit rate over 50%. If Caglianone can make consistent contact, he will continue to grow into being a threat in the Royals' lineup.

He has also made great strides in his defensive ability. Last season, Caglianone was worth a -7 fielding run value, and so far, he is posting a positive number in 2026. Both his range and arm value are now grading well above average. Adding this improvement to his strides in batting, Caglianone is becoming a well-rounded player.

Who's Not? 🧊

Vinnie Pasquantino

Speaking of not being able to drive in Witt, Pasquantino has not had the ideal start to his 2026 season. Pasquantino finally recorded a hit, a triple, on Wednesday to end a 0-for-20 spell. His season slash line is down to .152/.234/.197. After finishing second in total bases for the Royals in 2025 (behind only Witt), Pasquantino has only two extra-base hits this season. 

Pasquantino has also seen a noticeable dip in his bat speed of above three mph, and his exit velocity has suffered in the process. These are definitely concerning signs for his power potential to do damage in the heart of the Royals’ batting order.

Going into the season, Pasquantino was presumed to be the default hitter to be the source of power to drive in Witt and Maikel Garcia when they reach base, and so far, Pasquantino has failed to do so. Until Pasquantino is able to find his groove at the plate, the Royals' offense will likely continue to flounder.

Nick Mears

Mears has had a week to forget. In his two appearances this week, he has two blown saves, resulting in two losses this week (only one of which was changed to him). The “blown save” designation is a bit misleading. While he did not come in his games in a traditional save opportunity, Mears was on the mound when the team lost its lead.

On Sunday, Mears was brought in during the 6th inning after Noah Cameron had loaded the bases with one out and a one-run lead. Mears was able to get out of the inning without allowing too much damage, but he did allow one walk, which brought home the tying run.

On Tuesday, Mears was tasked with pitching the eighth inning with a 1-0 lead. He allowed two critical doubles. One was to Gelyber Torres, who eventually scored on a wild pitch, and the other was to Dillon Dingler, who drove in the eventual winning run.

Mears had otherwise had a decent start to the season before this week, where he had not yet allowed any runs to score, including inherited runners. The Royals will look for Mears to bounce back from these performances if they want to continue to turn to him in high-leverage situations, especially with Carlos Estevez still on the injured list.

Salvador Perez

Perez has struggled at the plate this past week, going 3 for 22 with seven strikeouts. His season slash line is now down to .149/.208/.269. His batting run value ranks in the 4th percentile among qualified hitters this season. Perez is still the captain of this team, but in his current form, the Royals may start to consider if it is time to move him down in the lineup.