Week In Review: Royals Perhaps Turn Corner With 4-2 Road Trip

Week in a Nutshell 

After going 4-2 at home in the previous week against the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels, the Royals produced the same record this week on the road against the Sacramento Athletics and Seattle Mariners. Like the Royals' previous homestand, Kansas City lost two of three in their first series against the Athletics, but finished strong by sweeping the Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle over the weekend.

With the winning road trip, the Royals improved their road record to 6-12 and overall record to 15-19. That puts them 2.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians and only 1.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot. 

Record this Week: 4-2

Run Differential for the Week: +2

Record for the Year: 15-19

Run Differential for the Year: -17

Standing: 4th in the AL Central

Game 29: KC 4, ATH 1 

• Kris Bubic struggled with control, walking four batters and going only five innings against the Athletics. However, he struck out six batters and allowed only one run on four hits. Salvador Perez got the scoring going early with a solo blast, and Bobby Witt Jr. had a clutch three-run home run in the top of the 10th that propelled the Royals to the win.

Game 30: ATH 5, KC 2

• The Royals started early by scoring a run in the top of the first on a fielder's choice by Salvador Perez. However, Michael Wacha wasn't quite as sharp. He allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out five. Witt was the only Royals player with multiple hits (two). 

Game 31: ATH 6, KC 3

• Kansas City dropped the rubber game, with a four-run second inning putting the game out of reach. Noah Cameron allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out five in 5.2 IP. Maikel Garcia hit his third home run of the year, while Elias Diaz hit his first. Despite the Royals having 10 hits, they left 12 runners on base and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Game 32: KC 7, SEA 6

• The Royals parlayed a four-run first inning to help them win an offensive battle, even though Cole Ragans and Bryan Woo pitched for Kansas City and Seattle, respectively. Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jac Caglianone went yard, and Lane Thomas had a clutch pinch-hit single that gave them the lead for good in the top of the 8th. Lucas Erceg locked down his eighth save of the year. 

Game 33: KC 3, SEA 2

• Emerson Hancock was elite, as he struck out 14 batters in 7 IP, and allowed only one run on six hits. However, Seth Lugo put up a solid performance himself, going six innings, allowing two runs, seven hits, and two walks while striking out six. Caglianone came up clutch at the top of the ninth, getting an RBI triple off Mariners closer Andres Munoz to send the game into extra innings. Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Michael Massey, and Erceg closed the door to earn the save for a second-straight game. 

Game 34: KC 4, SEA 1

• Bubic looked much sharper in Seattle than he did in Sacramento. He went seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Most of the Royals' offense came in the fourth, as they scored three runs on Mariners starter Luis Castillo in a variety of ways, including a walk and a fielder's choice. Isaac Collins had a double in the 6th inning that scored Caglianone from second and gave them a three-run lead. John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV locked down the eighth and ninth, with Lynch getting his first save of the year. 

News and Notes

The Royals received tough news at the beginning of the week, as the team announced that Jonathan India received labral repair surgery, effectively ending his 2026 season. 

If that wasn't enough, they also received some discouraging news regarding right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna, who both began the year in Omaha. Both received surgeries, and while nothing official has been said, it seems likely that both pitchers will miss the remainder of the 2026 season.

On a positive note, on April 28th, the Royals promoted right-handed pitcher Luinder Avila from Omaha to Kansas City and optioned Eli Morgan back to Triple-A. Avila was previously working as a starter this year, not just starting in Omaha, but also filling in for Michael Wacha for a spot start. However, it seems like the Royals will be utilizing Avila in the bullpen full-time for the time being.

The Venezuelan-born righty in two outings this week went three innings and struck out three batters and issued no walks while allowing one run on two hits. 

Highlights

The Royals got some nice weeks from Garcia and Perez, who have struggled on the road in previous road trips. 

In 28 at-bats, Garcia hit .296 with a .903 OPS, and his eight hits led all Royals hitters on the road trip. As for Salvy, he hit .292 with an .846 OPS. Both hit home runs, and they combined for seven RBI this week. 

Another strong performer was Vinnie, even though he accumulated just 17 at-bats this road trip. He sat out a couple of games in the Athletics series as he nursed a sore back. However, when he got back in the linuep, he was a force in the Royals' batting order in the No. 3 spot.

Vinne had six hits and posted a .977 OPS. He also had a clutch home run of Bryan Woo, his fourth of the year, that helped extend the Royals' lead in game one of their series on Friday night against the Mariners. 

Pasquantino's overall numbers aren't great, as he is hitting .188 with a .633 OPS so far this season. However, it seemed like he was more locked in against the Mariners, and his two-hit game on Sunday should help build some momentum for him in the upcoming homestand at Kauffman Stadium. 

Even though he only had four hits in 18 plate appearances and posted a .689 OPS, Caglianone had a couple of clutch hits in the Mariners series. That included a home run off Woo on Friday, and a game-tying triple off Munoz, who was one of the game's best closers a season ago.

Some other key hitters for the Royals this week were Starling Marte, who had a three-hit game in the series finale against the Athletics, and Isaac Collins, who finally got his first hits on the road this season. Collins also had a key double that extended the Royals' lead in their 4-1 win on Sunday. 

On the pitching end, Erceg bounced back to have a tremendous week on the mound, re-establishing himself as the Royals' closer with Carlos Estevez out.

Erceg appeared three times and collected three saves in three innings pitched, with two coming against the Mariners and one against the Athletics, his former team. He allowed no runs, just one hit, and one walk while striking out four this week. The strikeouts were encouraging, especially considering his chase and whiff rate issues back in April. 

In addition to his excellent performance in the late innings this week, the 30-year-old reliever also had quite the viral moment in the Royals' postgame interview with Joel Goldberg.

Erceg wasn't the lone Royals reliever to have a solid week.

In three innings of work, Matt Strahm allowed no runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Nick Mears allowed no runs in two appearances and 1.2 IP while striking out two and allowing no hits and just one walk. John Schreiber looked closer to his 2024 and 2025 form, allowing just one run on two hits and two walks in 3.1 IP.

Lastly, Lynch blew a two-run lead in game one, but he closed the Mariners out in the series finale, going 1.1 IP and striking out three. As a result, he earned his first save of the year and had his own viral postgame interview moment.

The Royals' bullpen ranks 27th in ERA, 25th in WHIP, and 26th in BB/9 and HR/9. Hopefully, this strong performance this week, especially in the Mariners series, can carry over to this upcoming homestand.

Lowlights

Carter Jensen received some good news this week, as he was named Royals Offensive Player of the Month (Lugo was named Pitcher of the Month). 

Unfortunately, the week was not a stellar one for the Royals' rookie catcher.

In 18 at-bats, Jensen hit .056 with a .246 OPS. He had only one hit, and his nine strikeouts led all Royals hitters this week. As a result, he's hitting .230 with a .752 OPS, a far cry from where he was at the end of the Royals homestand in the previous week. That said, while he didn't get a hit, Jensen did draw a crucial walk against Castillo on Sunday that brought home a key run.

Another hitter who struggled was Michael Massey, who will be a key player going forward for India, out for the remainder of the season.

In 18 at-bats, Massey hit .056 with a .156 OPS. He had just one hit and one walk while striking out seven times. Like many Royals hitters, the 28-year-old has struggled on the road this season. In 32 at-bats away from Kauffman Stadium, he is hitting .094 with a .268 OPS. At home? Massey is hitting .300 with an .846 OPS in 30 at-bats. He also has 12 strikeouts on the road compared to just six at home. 

Safe to say, Massey is looking forward to returning to Kauffman Stadium on Monday.

On the pitching end, Ragans, Wacha, and Cameron had rough performances this week. All three starters allowed four earned runs and pitched fewer than six innings in their respective outings. Ragans and Wacha at least have a track record that should earn them some patience, but Cameron is a tougher situation for the Royals' coaching staff. 

In six starts and 31.2 IP, Cameron has a 5.40 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. He has been particularly hit hard this year, and it's unlikely that he will improve upon that trend in the near future, especially with a four-seamer that profiles as subpar, according to TJ Stuff+. 

The Royals don't have a ton of options right now in Omaha, especially with Bergert and Kudrna going under the knife. However, a possible option that the Royals could piggyback with Cameron is Stephen Kolek, who's been on rehab in Omaha. 

Like Cameron, Kolek doesn't have a great four-seamer. It has a 93 TJ Stuff+ and generates a 13.6% whiff rate, both lackluster marks. However, the former Padres pitcher generates a decent amount of chase and minimizes hard contact, making him a possible long-relief option that could relieve Cameron after the lefty gets through the lineup a couple of times.

Another option who could piggyback or replace Cameron is Bailey Falter, who's been looking good in a rehab stint in Omaha. In 9.2 IP with the Storm Chasers, he has a 3.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2.63 FIP, and 30% K%. He also has displayed some promising TJ Stuff+ metrics as well as solid chase and whiff rates.

Falter's rehab stint is coming to an end soon, so it'll be interesting to see how the Royals will utilize Falter on the pitching staff when he returns from the IL. 

Looking Ahead

The Royals have a full week ahead. They have four games against the Cleveland Guardians this week and a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers. The Royals do not have a single off day this week.

The Tigers and Guardians are both tied at the top of the AL Central division with identical 18-17 records. The Tigers are technically the better team, based on run differential and xW-L. Detroit has a +18 run differential with a 19-16 xW-L. On the flip side, Cleveland has a -3 run differential and 17-18 xW-L. 

While the Tigers edge the Guardians in run differential, Cleveland has been the better road team this year. The Guardians have a 9-10 record on the road, compared to the Tigers' 6-14. Thus, the Royals could have a tougher series at the start of the week, especially considering how well the Guardians have played away from Progressive Field this season. 

Wacha and Cameron will make multiple starts this week, with both also predicted to pitch in the first two games against Cleveland on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Considering their rough recent road trip performances, solid starts from these two pitchers, especially against the Guardians, will be key to the Royals' chances to win their homestand against their division rivals.