Mike Gillespie

Image courtesy of © Peter Aiken-Imagn Images / © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Victims of a distressing three-game weekend road sweep at the hands of the Rangers that left them 10-18 for May — and losers of 16 of their last 20 — the Kansas City Royals limped out of Texas Sunday, headed for Cincinnati and a trio of contests against the Reds. The Royals’ awful month was truly a team effort, with some questionable starting pitching and a poor bullpen compounding the problems posed by a chronically weak offense. But the club managed to reap a few decent individual performances, including some from their otherwise troubled pitching staff. Take a look at Kansas City’s best pitchers of the month. No. 4: Daniel Lynch IV 12 G, 12 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 14 K, 5 BB That Lynch wasn’t at his best Saturday — he was charged with a run on two hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning against Texas — doesn’t change the fact that he deserves consideration for a shot at closing. Considering Carlos Estévez’s season-long absence and Lucas Erceg’s recent troubles, it might be time for manager Matt Quatraro to give Lynch a try. The notion is hard to dispute. Lynch, who went 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA while pitching 57 times out of the pen last season, has been even better in 2026. After posting a minuscule 0.79 ERA across March and April, he was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and was charged with runs in just three of his 12 May appearances. He’s 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and is holding opponents to a .174 average for the season. No. 3: John Schreiber 11 G, 10.1 IP, 0.87 ERA, 7 K, 3 BB, 1.06 WHIP Yes, that’s right. Schreiber, he of an unsightly 0-2, 4.63 ERA first month that had many fans calling for his head, bounced back to become one of the Royals’ best hurlers — and one of their top relievers — for May. Schreiber pitched 11 times, was charged with only one run in 10 1/3 innings, and gave the club an infusion of reliability. No. 2: Stephen Kolek 5 G, 31 IP, 3.48 ERA, 19 K, 6 BB, 0.94 WHIP Despite the Friday beating he took from the Rangers — he gave up six runs in five innings and suffered his first loss of the season — Kolek had a good May. He made his season debut with a May 5 quality start win against Cleveland and, after a brief two-day return to Triple-A Omaha, replaced injured Cole Ragans in the big league rotation and won two of three starts, beating St. Louis on the road and shutting out Seattle at home before the Rangers gnawed away at him Friday. He finished May 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Add that performance to the five-game, 33-inning, 1.91 ERA effort he turned in after coming to Kansas City as part of last season’s trade deadline deal that made popular Royal Freddy Fermin a Padre, and it looks like Kolek is in the rotation to stay. No. 1: Michael Wacha 6 G, 38 IP, 3.32 ERA, 32 K, 13 BB, 1.13 WHIP Wacha’s May didn’t end well. The steadiest starter the Royals have had since he joined the team in 2024, Wacha suffered his only loss of the month by giving up six runs and eight hits to the Rangers on Sunday. But the bad outing didn’t prevent him from being the Royals’ pitcher of the month for May. Wacha turned five of his six May appearances into quality starts and now has nine for the year. Although Sunday’s start put a slight blemish on his otherwise superb 38-inning month, he struck out 19 more batters (32) than he walked (13), and solidified his claim to the best of the rotation. View full article

Image courtesy of © Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Their eyes weren’t deceiving Kansas City Royals fans who happened to check in on Triple-A Omaha’s Saturday evening contest with Memphis. Mixed in with the carnage of the 13-1 demolition the Storm Chasers suffered at home was the appearance of a familiar face whose brief 2024 stint with the KC organization ended almost as soon as baseball’s winter began. It happened in the top of the fifth inning when Andrew Pérez, Omaha’s second pitcher of the night, had just given Memphis its sixth run. That’s when Dan Altavilla, fresh from his early week release from the Minnesota organization, emerged from the Storm Chasers’ bullpen and promptly struck out Ramon Mendoza to leave what could have been the Redbirds’ seventh run stranded at third base. And for good measure, Altavilla secured his place as one of the evening’s few Chaser bright spots by finishing his night’s work with a scoreless fifth inning. What now lies ahead for this veteran of eight major league seasons? Dan Altavilla Could Soon Find Himself in the Royals’ Bullpen Kansas City’s present unfortunate circumstances may force the club to add Altavilla to its struggling relief corps, an alarmingly inconsistent group beset by injuries, including the key loss of closer Carlos Estévez on Opening Day, the continuing struggles of Lucas Erceg, and a 5.22 ERA that, heading into Sunday, tied it with Houston for the majors’ worst bullpen mark. Bringing up the 33-year-old right-hander, who KC signed to a minor league contract Friday, seems almost inevitable. The bullpen as presently constituted is one of the team’s sorest spots and doesn’t show signs of imminent improvement. While he may not (and probably won’t) be the bullpen panacea the Royals need, he’ll be worth trying if manager Matt Quatraro’s relievers don’t soon right their own ship. Altavilla has had some success, most notably with Seattle, for whom he went 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA across 22 games in 2018, and in Chicago, where last season he pitched 28 times for the White Sox and finished with a career-best 2.48 ERA and a 172 ERA+. Repeating such numbers could give KC’s bullpen a badly needed boost. But Altavilla isn’t free of pitching baggage. Hard to ignore is the 14.73 ERA he posted in five games for the Royals after they signed the then-free agent during the 2023-2024 offseason — he gave up six runs on six hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings. Yes, an oblique strain forced him onto the Injured List for most of the season after the Royals called him up from Omaha in June, but those numbers are still troubling and hard to forget. Then there are ERAs that are simply too high for a reliever, like the 17-game 5.52 he put up with the 2019 Mariners, and the 5.75 mark he posted in 22 appearances split between Seattle and San Diego during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. And he missed most of 2021, and the entire 2022 big league campaign, rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. Altavilla quickly opted for free agency after pitching so sparingly for the Royals in 2024. Now, after being released from Minnesota’s Triple-A club, where he gave up 17 runs (16 earned) in 19.2 innings, he brings his four-pitch repertoire, which features a mid-to-high 90s four-seam fastball, back to Kansas City. Whether the Royals signed him as bullpen depth to be called up only in an emergency, or as a serious contender for a seat in their big league bullpen, remains to be seen. But don’t be surprised to see him in Kansas City before long. View full article

Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation is in a bit of disarray. Cole Ragans, still billed by many as the cream of the club’s starting pitching crop, threw well in a Triple-A rehab start Saturday but remains sidelined after experiencing elbow pain the next day. Elbow discomfort has also forced Kris Bubic, who missed much of last season with a rotator cuff issue and most of 2023 after Tommy John surgery, out of action since May 15, and he isn’t expected back until June. Consistency has not been Noah Cameron’s closest ally. So it is that a depth issue faced the Royals when they opened a three-game home series against the always-tough Yankees Monday, with a 10-game road trip to Texas, Cincinnati, and Minnesota, all of whom are in the thick of at least Wild Card races, to follow. The solution, though, won’t include Frank Mozzicato, the promising prep phenom pitching prospect whose curveball and potential so captivated the Royals that they grabbed him with their first pick (and seventh overall selection) in the 2021 amateur draft. He’s far from big league-ready … and may never be. Mozzicato’s is a sad tale indeed, and one easily told through the young left-hander's disturbing numbers. Frank Mozzicato Continues to Struggle in the Royals' System That choosing Mozzicato so early in the 2021 draft triggered immediate skepticism understates the situation. After all, the Royals could have picked Kumar Rocker, Gavin Williams, Jordan Wicks, Andrew Painter, Max Muncy, or Matt McClain, all of whom were available then and have made it to the majors. And although he’d thrown four straight high school no-hitters that year, taking an 18-year-old with their first pick seemed a pretty risky move for a club with an increasingly questionable draft history. Unfortunately, Mozzicato, now 22 and ranked as KC's 17th-best prospect by Royals Keep, has done little to vindicate Kansas City’s decision. Take, for example, his 26 appearances (22 starts) at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, the highest level he’s achieved. Including last Sunday’s no-decision start against Amarillo, in which he struck out eight but gave up three runs and four hits and walked three in 4.1 innings, he’s winless in nine starts this year. Worse, though, is that he’s been battered in 2026 for 30 runs (26 earned) in 30.2 innings for a 7.63 ERA, and he’s walked 16.2% of the batters he’s faced (7.04 BB/9). He wasn’t much better for the Naturals last season, which surprised many after he started the season with a 1.24 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings across seven starts for High-A Quad Cities. But after his late May promotion to Northwest Arkansas, he went 2-5 with a 7.46 ERA and walked almost a batter per inning. And the rest of Mozzicato’s troubling pro career? At 12-32 in 95 games, he’s lost almost three times as often as he’s won. His 4.60 career ERA isn’t awful, but it’s a stat heavily influenced by his first three seasons (4.30 at Single-A in 2022, 4.65 for a 2023 campaign split between Single and High-A, 3.45 at High-A in 2024) while at the same time it masks the nine-game 7.12 he put up after his 2023 bump-up to High-A, his 5.03 last year, and, of course, the 7.52 across his 26 appearances at Northwest Arkansas. Troubling, too, are his more advanced 2026 metrics — only in whiff % (30.1, 60th percentile) and K% (25, 51st percentile) is Mozzicato above the 50th percentile, and he’s at the 14th percentile in strike % (14), and the 21st percentile in BB% (16.2) and zone % (42.6). The southpaw’s fastball is also a concern. Mozzicato simply hasn’t displayed the velocity he needs. And then there’s his control. If not improved soon, Mozzicato’s tendency to walk far too many batters (career 16.3 BB% and 6.48 BB/9) may well be enough to keep him out of the majors. What Does the Future Hold for Royals Prospect Frank Mozzicato? Mozzicato clearly isn’t headed for the majors anytime soon. His struggles in Double-A will likely strand him there for the rest of this season, and suggest Triple-A may be too much for him. He and the Royals need to find a cure for what ails his pitching. If they don’t, his days in the organization could come to an end sooner rather than later. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The major league schedule gave the Royals and their fans a much-needed respite from misery Thursday. Sandwiched between a Wednesday loss to Boston that gave the struggling Red Sox a Kauffman Stadium series sweep and Friday night’s Memorial Day weekend series opener with Seattle, Thursday’s built-in off day meant the Royals had no chance to extend their eight-game losing streak and dig themselves deeper into the American League Central cellar they shared with Detroit. Whether the short break leads to anything positive remains to be seen. Clear, however, is that something, or some things, must change before this season becomes an even bigger mess. But while this is a team whose serious flaws include a weak offense, shaky base running, and an unpredictable bullpen, change can’t come recklessly. Here are three moves Kansas City shouldn’t make. The Royals Must Not Send Vinnie Pasquantino Down He has three minor league options left, but demoting Pasquantino, whose two straight 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons prompted the club to present him with a new two-year contract in January, was unthinkable not that long ago. But his miserable start — he was slashing .194/.279/.326 with a 68 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR when manager Matt Quatraro sat him against Boston Wednesday — has spawned chatter that some time at Triple-A Omaha might help. Perhaps. But proponents of such a big move must remember that Pasquantino is no stranger to slow starts. Through Wednesday, his 22 RBI ranked second on a team starved for runs, and he was tied with Jac Caglianone for the third-most homers (five) on the club. So, despite some disturbing peripherals (his hard-hit and barrel rates, and average exit velocity, are all down), the Royals, who’d scored more runs than only four other teams through Wednesday, shouldn’t risk losing Pasquantino’s production potential. Even platooning him for a while would be better. The Royals Shouldn’t Fire Matt Quatraro (yet) The notion that the Royals’ current distress warrants canning the manager is increasing among fretting fans. And an eight-game losing skid and 20-30 record fuel the fire. But it’s not time. Let’s not forget that in his second campaign at the helm, Quatraro led KC to its remarkable turnaround and playoff berth just a season after the awful club he inherited from Mike Matheny lost a franchise record-tying 106 games. Or that the Royals missed the postseason by only five games last year. Or that the front office failed once again to make the kind of significant offseason roster improvement Quatraro badly needs. No, firing the manager now probably won’t work the kind of dramatic change for which Royals fans yearn. Yes, he makes some questionable moves, his nearly unwavering commitment to platooning can be maddening, and he doesn’t display the kind of fire fans relish. But there’s still time. Wednesday’s loss to the Red Sox came with more than two-thirds of the season left to play. Key injured starter Cole Ragans should return soon. Closer Carlos Estévez will presumably be back this season, hopefully sooner rather than later. Expect Pasquantino to catch fire and Caglianone to show at least some improvement against left-handed pitchers. Simply put, the race isn’t over, and playing in a marginal division won’t hurt the Royals’ chances. And on top of all that, KC isn’t likely to eat the new three-year deal Quatraro received in January. Changes to the hitting staff are more likely … and probably more warranted. The Royals Shouldn’t Rush Anyone to the Majors Potential is scattered throughout Kansas City’s farm system. The franchise boasts such highly-touted prospects as Blake Mitchell, David Shields, Kendry Chourio, and Sean Gamble, but even the best of the bunch are far from being major league-ready. Calling any of them up risks damaging their development. The Royals must also resist the temptation to recall Triple-A players whose major league histories suggest they can’t or won’t help. Outfielder Drew Waters comes immediately to mind — he was slashing .273/.333/.545 with seven homers and 23 RBI in 33 games through Wednesday, but in 208 big league contests over parts of four seasons has an 85 wRC+, is hitting only .234, and has homered just 14 times. Fellow outfielder John Rave’s numbers (.273/.374/.481 with seven homers and 19 RBI at Omaha, but .196/.283/.307 with four homers and 14 RBI in 72 games with KC last year) are similar. With a nice .260/.359/.487 line, seven home runs, and 35 RBI, outfielder Kameron Misner is faring better than Waters and Rave, but his 79-game big league .203 average and .260 OBP suggest he requires more seasoning. He has no big league experience, but Brett Squires looks good — he was slashing .333/.355/.867 with four homers in eight games through Wednesday after his .294 average, .926 OPS, six homers, and 29 RBI in 32 games recently earned him a promotion from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. But it’s simply too early to bump him up to the majors. What Should the Royals Do? For now, try to stay the course, but with a change or two. General manager J.J. Picollo should be probing the market for another bat and a starting pitcher for depth, both of which his club could use well before the trade deadline. Shaking up the hitting staff deserves strong consideration. And Quatraro needs to be more flexible with his lineup. View full article

Image courtesy of Should the Perez Watch begin in Kansas City? Salvador Perez didn’t play in the Kansas City Royals' game against Detroit on Sunday night. Instead, he watched from Kauffman Stadium's home dugout as their 6-3 loss prevented the Royals from drawing within a game of first place in the American League Central, a position their poor start to the season had rendered almost unthinkable not that long ago. Whether the Royals would have won Sunday’s game but for Perez’s conspicuous absence will never be known. That he’d hit in the critical cleanup spot in all but one of his 39 appearances this year, and through Sunday was tied for the second-most home runs (five) and third-most RBI (17) on the club, suggests his presence might have made a difference. But those counting stats, and where Perez usually bats, don’t tell the whole story. Other important measures of his performance suggest he hits too high in the order, and his impact may, in his 15th big league season, be on the wane. Those metrics (more on them in a moment) paint the grim picture that the years may be about to overcome and pass the nine-time All-Star by, and that KC fans should enjoy him while they can. They also raise this question: Should the “Salvador Perez Watch” begin? Salvador Perez is Slumping Badly With the Royals Although the bulk of the regular campaign lies ahead, some key metrics prove just how bad Perez's season has been. Through Sunday, and after playing 39 of his team’s 41 games, he was hitting only .182 in 52 plate appearances with runners in scoring position; at .192, his season average wasn't much better. His OPS+ was a dreary 55, his wRC+ a shockingly low and unacceptable 47. With a pesky hip issue the apparent culprit, Perez hasn’t caught since May 1 or appeared at first base since the day before that. That manager Matt Quatraro keeps him in the lineup and bats him fourth tends to belie the notion that Perez's hip problem contributes significantly to his hitting woes; nevertheless, entering Tuesday’s series opener against the White Sox in Chicago, he was homerless and slashing .107/.188/.107 since moving exclusively (at least temporarily) to less physically taxing DH duty. On the brighter side, Perez was hitting .236 over his last 14 games, but that’s still almost 30 points below his .263 career average and hardly provides reason to believe a major turnaround is imminent. Defensively, his work behind the plate has been serviceable, but falls short of the high expectations his five Gold Gloves create. Yes, he's an outstanding ABS challenger — through Sunday, his 11.9 Overturns vs. Expected ranked fourth among major league catchers, and his 41.2 caught stealing percentage was well above league average. But Perez's blocking remains average at best, and his subpar framing continues. His play at first base hasn't been stellar, but Quatraro has deployed him there only three times this season. Is Salvador Perez Nearing the End of his Royals Career? This is a question frequently posed over the past few seasons. And while Perez eventually answered it with a resounding “No,” he finished the 2025 season with 30 homers and 100 RBI, and the 2024 campaign with 27 homers, 104 RBI, his ninth All-Star berth, and his fifth Silver Slugger — things might be different now. For one, an obvious heir apparent to Perez has finally emerged. Accustomed to sharing time behind the plate only with backups with no realistic chances of taking his job, Perez must now relinquish more time to Carter Jensen, whose flashy final-month call-up last season yielded a 20-game .300/.391/.550 line and locked in a 2026 big league roster spot. Jensen’s defense has its good and not-so-good components, and as a rookie, he has plenty of time to hone his skills. Offensively, Jensen was leading the club through Sunday in home runs with six and RBI with 18. At least until Royals Keep No. 4 prospect and High-A backstop Blake Mitchell advances far enough to prove otherwise, Jensen is KC’s catcher of the future. Then there’s the matter of Perez's contract. Rather than taking the conservative approach by picking up his club option after last season, the Royals gave him a new two-year deal. With much of the money apparently deferred and no apparent club, player, or mutual option at its expiration, the terms hint at the possible end of the road for Perez, which makes sense because he’ll be 38 with 17 major league seasons behind him when the deal ends. But that hint of things to come isn’t definitive. Things could change. Perez might defy the years once again and merit a shot at playing in 2028. Or his present slump may be the biggest sign yet that retirement is closer than we’d like it to be. Should the “Salvador Perez Watch” begin? We should know soon enough. View full article

Blake MitchellDavid ShieldsKendry ChourioRamon RamirezFelix ArrondeSean GambleDrew BeamYandel RicardoLuinder AvilaJosh HammondSteven ZobacCarson RoccaforteBen KudrnaShane PanziniWarren ColcanoBlake WoltersMichael LombardiRamcell MedinaDaniel VazquezFrank Mozzicato

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals, whose terrible start to the season triggered early declarations of postseason hopes already dashed, drew within a half-game of the American League Central Division lead by beating front-running Cleveland on Monday and Tuesday. Playing decisive roles were both sides of the resurgent club’s emerging second base platoon — Nick Loftin’s fourth-inning two-run single broke a 2-2 tie and proved the difference in Monday evening’s 6-2 win, and Michael Massey’s two-run homer in the fourth Tuesday night gave KC the lead it never surrendered en route to a 5-3 win. Those were big moments in big games, but did little, if anything, to clarify the long-muddled picture that is second base in Kansas City. Things that were uncertain enough when the season started became even more so when labral surgery ended Jonathan India’s season last month; the question now is whether the job should belong to Massey or Loftin, or whether the platoon manager Matt Quatraro seems to be leaning toward should continue. There may be no easy answer. Should Michael Massey Be the Royals’ Second Baseman? Massey’s major league keystone experience dwarfs Loftin’s. Tuesday's start at second gave Massey 328 appearances at the position, a whopping 270 more than Loftin. But that edge in experience, while important, won’t cinch the job. Massey’s health is, unfortunately, a factor. An assortment of injuries cut deeply into his 2024 and 2025 seasons, sidelined him for much of this year’s Cactus League schedule, and forced him onto the injured list for the first week of the current campaign. The Royals must watch him closely and guard against further long absences. How much time off he’ll require as the season progresses remains to be seen. Massey’s glove leaves little to be desired, but he’s inconsistent at the plate. He hit an okay .259 and posted a 104 wRC+ in 2024, and went on a hot streak of .375/.412/.482 rampage after returning from the IL late last August. But that .259 represents the only time he’s exceeded .244 since debuting with the Royals in 2022, his career OBP through Tuesday was only .281, and he was slashing an ugly .215/.243/.385 in 24 games. He has more power than Loftin, who’s homered only five times in 155 big league games — Massey averaged 14.5 homers in 2023 and 2024, the only two seasons he’s played at least 100 games. Should Nick Loftin Be the Royals’ Second Baseman? Kansas City is a team that needs as much offense as it can get. Proving he can hit major league pitching consistently well is, however, something Loftin hasn’t done — in 1,358 plate appearances covering parts of five seasons, he’s slashing .223/.300/.324 with a subpar .624 OPS and 74 wRC+. Encouraging, though, is the .366 OBP he’s posted and nine runs he’s driven in across 12 games this season. And, he’s walking more (14.6 BB%) and striking out less (7.3 K%). Loftin won’t win any defensive awards at second base, but his career +1 OAA and +2 DRS there suggest he can hold his own without doing damage to the KC cause. Loftin’s real value to the Royals is his versatility — he can serviceably play first, second, and third bases, and during his career has appeared 43 times in left field. Hitting better than Massey, though, could force Quatraro’s hand when it comes to choosing an everyday second-sacker. If that is, Quatraro decides against a platoon… Should Michael Massey and Nick Loftin Share Second Base? That may be the best-case scenario, which appears to be Quatraro’s plan since India’s season ended. And the splits support such an approach. The left-handed hitting Massey, for example, entered Tuesday’s contest batting .154 against lefties and .204 against righties; for his career, he was slashing .242/.283/.389 against right-handers and .234/.270/.345 against left-handers. And remarkably, he's hit only three of his 37 career homers off southpaws. Loftin, a right-handed batter, is hitting .300 against left-handers but 60 points lower against righties this season; for his career, he’s slashing .244/.333/.356 against the former and .212/.284/.309 against the latter. So, for a manager as plugged into splits and handedness as Quatraro, the number of his present second basemen suggests he’ll platoon them. At least, that is, until a better alternative comes along. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images Nicky Lopez, the former Kansas City Royals utility infielder whose surprisingly excellent 2021 season made franchise history before he became a journeyman player two years later, and ex-Kansas City catcher-turned-outfielder MJ Melendez, who never reached the heights his 41-homer 2021 minor league season suggested he would, found themselves unemployed after the 2025 campaign ended. Lopez left the Cubs, his fifth organization since the Royals successfully shopped him at the 2023 trade deadline, for free agency in November, and the Royals made Melendez a free agent when they non-tendered him later that month. Today, though, both familiar former Royals are back in the big leagues, Lopez with the Cubs and Melendez with the Mets. What the future holds for either of them is, however, uncertain. New York is Former Royals Outfielder MJ Melendez’s New Home The Mets became Melendez’s second baseball home when they signed him just as spring training began. He seemed to be vindicating the club’s faith in him by going 4-for-11 with a pair of homers and five RBI in Grapefruit League play, but started the season in Triple-A, where he’d slumped to .216/.286/.431 when the Mets called him up April 15 to replace injured Jared Young. (To his credit, four of Melendez’s 11 Triple-A hits were for extra bases, including two homers). What Melendez brings to the Mets’ table is power potential. Those 41 homers he clubbed in 2021 led the minor leagues, and that he hit 18 as a Royals rookie the following season, then 16 in 2023 and 17 in 2024, proves he can swing a big bat. But it takes more than potential to stay in the majors, and Melendez didn’t deliver it — he hit only .221 and, despite making some stellar defensive plays, posted unflattering marks in the outfield (-17 OAA and -25 DRS) across the same period. He managed 20 Triple-A homers last season, but the .083/.154/.167 line he posted in 23 games with the Royals seemed to seal his fate with the franchise. He’ll have to hit much better to stick with the Mets. He struck out to end his new club’s 3-1 loss to Colorado Sunday, but is a respectable 6-for-22 (.273) with three doubles, a homer, and two RBI in 24 plate appearances since being called up. The Cubs Keep Coming Back to Former Royals Infielder Nicky Lopez The Cubs seem to find Lopez easy to let go but harder to resist — reportedly prized by skipper Craig Counsell, they’ve acquired him four times in a little more than a year, with his last stint with the organization beginning last Thursday when they picked him up from Colorado in a cash-for-player deal. Chicago brought him up the next day. Lopez startled baseball in 2021 when Adalberto Mondesi’s injuries forced him into the everyday lineup —he became the first shortstop in club history to hit .300, and finished the campaign with a career-best .300/.365/.378 line. Since then, Lopez hasn’t hit better than the .241 he posted with the White Sox in 2024; he’s hitless in two at-bats so far this year. But the Cubs don’t need him to wield a .300 bat — what he really brings to Wrigley Field is a good glove and the ability to play shortstop, second, third, and even first base if he has to. He’s also dabbled a bit in left field. How long Lopez and Melendez stay in the majors is anyone’s guess. Either could be back in the minors by the time fans read this. What’s clear, though, is their new teams value them enough to give them new big league chances. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The injury bug has bitten Kansas City Royals second baseman (and sometimes left fielder) Michael Massey for too much of his short major league career. The back issues he battles delayed the start of his 2024 season, later sidelined him for a month more, and cut his playing time to 100 games. Ankle, wrist, and back issues cost him two months of last year’s campaign. This year, an early spring training calf injury kept him on the injured list for the first 10 days of the season. That Massey’s health has impeded his big league career is fact, so much so that it’s plausible his injury history played at least some part in the Royals’ decision to almost double Jonathan India’s salary for 2026 despite India’s well-chronicled struggles at the plate and in the field last year. Now, however, it’s India who’s injured, and Massey who’s playing. And that means the door may be open for Massey to reclaim the second base job that appeared to be his after a strong 2023 performance (more on that momentarily). India was struggling when a shoulder subluxation forced him to the IL on Monday, and Massey is showing signs of coming back around. Can Royals Infielder Michael Massey Seize the Moment? Massey isn’t the perfect second baseman. Only Frank White, the slick-fielding second sacker who won eight Gold Gloves with Kansas City before retiring after the 1990 season and later taking his rightful place in the club’s Hall of Fame, has approached that status. But Massey doesn’t have to be perfect to be good, and he’s had decent seasons with the Royals since breaking in in 2022. His 3 OAA in 2023 tied for the ninth-highest mark in the majors; only six American League second basemen had more, and he posted the best fielding percentage of all big leaguers at the position. He also homered 15 times. Despite spending so much time on the IL in 2024, he still clubbed 14 homers, had a 104 wRC+, and hit a serviceable .259. And last year, he came back from a long IL stint with barely a month left in the season and in 68 down-the-stretch plate appearances posted an excellent .375/.412/.482 line. But notwithstanding India's .233 average, and -6 OAA and -2 DRS at second last season, the new contract the Royals gave India over the winter seemed more than just a hint that he was their presumptive second baseman when spring training opened. Massey, though, appeared to be having none of that presumption — in eight Cactus League games, he was slashing .364/.417/.545 with a pair of homers and four RBI when he suffered his calf injury. Could Massey have beaten out India had he remained healthy? That India finished the spring hitting .194 suggests so. The tables are now turned. India was still battling his bat (.167/.310/.313) when he headed for the IL Monday, giving Massey the chance to prove he can be a greater offensive force. So far? Massey was hitting only .185 when India went down, but through Wednesday’s loss to Baltimore, he was 4-for-7 over his last two games, and in his last five appearances, he was hitting .294 with a home run, four RBI, and two doubles. The homer, a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the eighth of Tuesday's 6-5 losing streak-breaking, walk-off victory over the Orioles, tied that game and gave the Royals their chance to win it in the ninth. India is eligible to come off the IL next week. Whether that happens remains to be seen — shoulder subluxations can be tricky things. But no matter how long it lasts, can Massey take advantage of India’s absence and convince the Royals he should be their regular second baseman? Time will tell, and the club might prefer platooning at second, but a hot bat could do the trick. View full article

The early-season hole they’ve dug for themselves got deeper for the Royals on Sunday. After New York weather delayed the day's first pitch for nearly three hours, the Royals quietly bowed 7-0 to the Yankees in a dispiriting, lackluster effort that completed a winless six-game road trip, extended their losing streak to seven, and left them in sole possession of last place in the American League Central. Even the lowly White Sox have been better than this club, which is now tied with the Mets for the worst record in the majors. This is not the strong contender for postseason play so many expected it to be. Sunday’s loss sank the Royals eight games below .500, a depth they hadn’t reached since 2023 when they lost 106 times. Little has gone right for the 2026 club, and its problems run deeper than the outfield bats, which have become the usual culprits for extended dry spells. What, then, lies ahead? A lot, especially with 140 games left before the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Even so, and some reasons for hope notwithstanding, KC’s miserable 7-15 start suggests it may be time for even the most optimistic fans to recalibrate their expectations. The Royals Are Not the Team Fans Want Them to Be Kansas City was allegedly an improved team when spring training began. But expectations may have been too high, and prognosticators too kind. After all, the front office failed for the second straight winter to land the big new bat it’s so sorely needed, settling instead for Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas. Collins’ first full big league season performance with Milwaukee last year — he homered nine times, drove in 54 RBI, and posted a .368 OBP and .263 average in 130 games — made him attractive, and Thomas’ 28-homer, 86-RBI 2023 effort with Washington gave Kansas City hope. But Collins and Thomas haven’t given the offense enough … or anything close to it. Together they’re 17-for-91 (.186) with a homer and five RBI. The Royals also didn’t fix second base. Instead of cutting disappointing Jonathan India loose, they re-signed him for $8 million only to see him fail to deliver at the plate; his .167/.310/.313 line through Sunday speaks volumes. Michael Massey also isn’t hitting (.174/.208/.261), and he’s been spending some time in left field as manager Matt Quatraro continues to hunt for someone to stake a strong claim to that position. And what big bats the Royals do have are floundering. Vinnie Pasquantino’s .157/.234/.265 line is terrible, and he didn’t hit his first homer until Thursday. Salvador Perez has three homers, good for second on the club behind Carter Jensen’s five, but going 0-for-4 Sunday dropped his average to .152, and whispered speculation about possible age-related decline has grown louder. Although he boasts a .362 OBP, Bobby Witt Jr. hasn’t been himself — he still hasn’t homered and is batting a certainly serviceable, but un-Witt-like .280. Maikel Garcia’s fast start has cooled (he’s 2 for his last 20), and he finished Sunday hitting .256, which may not bode well for him continuing in the leadoff spot to which Quatraro restored him to begin the season. As a team, and at the close of Sunday’s loss, the Royals were averaging 3.2 runs per game. They ranked last in the majors in runs scored (71), 28th in SLG (.362) and OPS (.356), and 27th in average (.218) and OBP (.310). The Royals’ Rotation Has Struggled Recently That Kansas City’s problems now run deeper than its offense has become painfully apparent. Even starting pitching, by far the club’s greatest strength, is starting to find the going rough. Noah Cameron gifted the Yankees three home runs in one inning Saturday, Detroit tagged Kris Bubic Friday for five charged runs in 4.2 innings Friday, and the Yanks battered Cole Ragans for seven runs in 4.1 frames Sunday. Fortunately, though, the starters’ body of early work has been decent — collectively, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Cameron, Ragans, and Bubic had the majors' 10th best ERA (3.66) and 11th best OAA (.219) when Sunday’s game ended. The Royals’ Bullpen is a Mess The bullpen’s ineptitude rivals that of the offense. KC relievers have blown four saves, their horrific 6.18 ERA is the big leagues’ worst, and they’ve been tagged with an unacceptable seven of Kansas City’s 15 losses. Yes, star Carlos Estevéz’s injury hurts, but the fact that he’s pitched only once means the bullpen must bear much of the blame for the club’s poor start and continuing struggles. Is it Time to Rethink the 2026 Royals? Yes. No big league team is or can be perfect, but Kansas City’s imperfections are glaring. Perhaps general manager J.J. Picollo found the offseason price of a new big bat too high and settled for less than he wanted and his club needed. Perhaps Perez is running out of gas. Maybe some of the club’s talent is overrated, and was from the start. Improvement is needed. And sooner, not later; the club can’t wait for the midsummer trade deadline. But the history of this typically conservative franchise suggests no new, truly impactful major league hitter will arrive this season, and hoping the rotation and bullpen pick up the slack all season is too much to ask. Although it’s still early, this club is in trouble. View full article

Image courtesy of © Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Sixteen games into the new season, the 2026 Kansas City Royals found themselves sharing too many things in common with the 2025 club that so disappointingly fell short of a second straight trip to baseball’s postseason. Sunday’s homestand-ending loss to the White Sox kept the Royals stranded in third place in the American League Central, the same spot they occupied at this point a year ago, and their 7-9 record was a game worse than where they stood after 16 outings in 2025. Unfortunately, though, the similarities to last year don’t end there. With roughly 10% of this new campaign in the books, and despite some new blood on the roster, Kansas City’s struggle to score continues, its outfielders’ bats remain too soft, and who to play where is still a question. Without solutions, Kansas City may well be headed for another "Wait 'til next year" season. The Royals’ Offense Looks Too Much Like the 2025 Version As was the case last season, when they averaged barely four runs per game, the 2026 Royals simply don’t push enough runs across the plate. The nine runs they managed in four games against the cellar-dwelling White Sox to close out last week's play gave them 54 for the young season, a sad 27th among the majors’ 30 teams heading into Monday’s action, and not good enough for anything better than a measly 3.37 per contest average. Take away the April Fool’s Day game in which they plated 13 runs against Minnesota, and the Royals would be averaging 2.73 per game. Ugh. Kansas City’s inability to score enough has many causes, not the least of which is the club’s performance with runners in scoring position, a critical area in which they finished a concerning 21st in 2025 (.255 average), but were dead last heading into Monday (.202). The club needed to be better last season, and get better this year. The Royals Are Still Fighting Their Bats Despite getting highly productive seasons from Vinnie Pasquantino (32 homers, 113 RBI) and Salvador Perez (30 homers, 100 RBI) and quite decent plate performances from All-Stars Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia last year, the Royals were no better than a middle-of-the-road (or worse) offensive team in 2025. And things really aren’t any better this year. Take, for example, the Royals’ .221 team average, which, entering Monday, ranked 24th in the majors. Their .344 SLG, like their total runs scored, ranked 27th. Their .655 OPS was 24th-best. And while KC’s .311 OBP came in at 12th, their sub-average 89 wRC+ topped only five teams. How do those numbers compare to 2025? The Royals finished last year with a .247 average (15th), a .397 SLG (18th), .706 OPS (19th), .309 OBP (22nd), and a 93 wRC+ (22nd). The comparative bodies of work aren’t remarkably different … and that’s not good for this club. The fault lies with no one player. Going into Monday, Perez and Pasquantino had only nine RBI between them, and Pasquantino hadn’t homered yet. Jonathan India and Michael Massey, either or neither of whom could end up with the full-time second base job before the season ends, were hitting a combined .183. (To his credit, India’s eight RBI tied him with Garcia and rookie Carter Jensen for the team lead). Jac Caglianone and Starling Marte hadn’t driven in a run or belted a homer. On the other hand, Jensen led KC with four home runs and Garcia’s .306/.380/.484 line complemented his 105wRC+. Witt was still looking for his first home run but had seven RBI to go with his improving .271/.371/.322 line. And Kyle Isbel was hitting .316 with a .395 OBP, and his two homers were already only six shy of the career-best eight he hit in 2024. But his outfield colleagues’ lackluster performances should keep general manager J.J. Picollo on the prowl for a big outfield bat — newcomer Isaac Collins' bat has plenty of room for improvement, fellow new Royal Lane Thomas was batting .130, and Caglianone’s painful search for sustained success continues unabated. Bottom line? The Royals' offense looks too much like the one that played such a big role in their disappointing 2025 campaign. Without improvement, this could be a long season. View full article

Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-Imagn Images In January, as their search for an established big bat to boost their offense seemed stalled again, the Kansas City Royals suddenly gave manager Matt Quatraro a three-year contract extension. Clearly calculated to help sustain the franchise renaissance triggered in the fall of 2022 by the replacement of head baseball man Dayton Moore with J.J. Picollo, and then manager Mike Matheny with Matt Quatraro, the extension kicks in next season. On its face, the deal gives Quatraro, whose 2023 Royals lost 106 games only to shockingly end the club’s pitiful 35-year absence from the playoffs in 2024, a big vote of confidence and some job security. But as an old baseball saying goes, managers are hired to be fired, a fate that Ned Yost, despite leading Kansas City to two straight World Series and winning one, might have met after his Royals never again had a winning season and lost over 100 games in each of the last two years before he retired. And major league history is replete with examples of managers axed well before their multi-season contracts expired. So, just how secure is Quatraro? Perhaps not as much as his extension suggests. What Could Happen This Season to Threaten Matt Quatraro’s Royals Future? Probably not much … with the emphasis on “probably”. At least in the short term, skippering the Royals to two consecutive winning seasons (2024 and 2025) after they hadn’t posted one since 2015 puts Quatraro on good ground. Only a monstrously catastrophic season, like the Chicago White Sox suffered by losing 121 times in 2024, could compel Picollo to fire the only manager he’s hired since taking the club’s reins from Moore. And that’s not likely to happen. Barring the uncanny string of injuries that dealt the starting rotation such a collective blow last year, Kansas City’s starters appear set to give this club plenty of chances to win. The bullpen might be a different matter. The major league season is so new, and the sample size consequently so small, that trying to draw any firm conclusions about the relief corps is folly. But Quatraro’s bullpen management has been an oft-criticized aspect of his in-game decision-making, and his recent ill-fated decision to summon Carlos Estévez to protect last Saturday night’s slim ninth-inning 2-0 lead against Atlanta further fueled that fire. Predictably bad after his disconcerting Cactus League performances, Estévez choked up the lead and a walk-off grand slam that handed the Braves a 6-2 win and Quatraro a blistering dose of criticism. Not unless the Royals miss the playoffs by a half-game or a full game, though, will that gut-punch loss make a difference in the season. But an accumulation of additional questionable bullpen decisions in high-leverage, late-game situations won’t help Quatraro or his club. (Fortunately, he has Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm to fall back on should Estévez not regain his major league-leading 42-save form of 2025). Then there’s the offense, a sore spot the Royals can’t seem to solve. Yes, they battered Minnesota for 13 runs in Wednesday night’s Kauffman Stadium fog, but because the season is so young, there’s more than enough time for the bats to soften. It won’t be Quatraro’s fault if they do, but big league managers too frequently suffer from their players’ faults and flaws. Finally, a return to mediocrity will spell trouble for Quatraro. No one blames him for his club’s franchise record-tying 106 losses in 2023 — after all, the Royals conceded even before the season began that it would be an “evaluation” year, and Quatraro had never managed in the big leagues before. But a trip to the playoffs, two straight winning seasons, and some important offseason acquisitions tend to irreversibly raise expectations. So, finishing well below .500 in 2026 — an unlikely event, to be sure — will move Quatraro toward shakier ground. This season, then, could prove pivotal for Quatraro. Although the three-year contract extension he received this winter demonstrates the club’s confidence in its skipper, front office faith in big league managers can be stunningly fragile. So fragile, in fact, that his contract extension notwithstanding, Quatraro’s seemingly secure seat in Kansas City’s dugout could heat up before this season ends. View full article

Image courtesy of © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images For Michael Massey, the 2026 major league season will begin in a place he doesn’t want to be — on the injured list, where the Kansas City Royals placed him when they set their Opening Day roster earlier this week. That the dreaded IL isn’t a good way for anyone to start the season is especially true for Massey, a promising player whose previous time there has hampered his otherwise good chances of becoming a regular fixture in the Royals’ lineup. And being sidelined for Friday night's club opener in Atlanta could mark the beginning of a make-or-break season for Massey. While another campaign marred by trips to the IL might not end his professional career, it could spell trouble for his future in Kansas City. Is time with the Royals running out for Michael Massey? That’s an important question facing the team and players as the new season kicks off. After the 15 homers he hit in 2023 helped dampen concerns about his disappointing .229/.274/.381 line and 74 wRC+, and he posted a serviceable +3 OAA in 118 games at second base, Massey appeared headed for a decent run at the keystone for the Royals. But Massey’s health became an issue the following season. Back tightness ended his Cactus League season in mid-March, landed him on the IL to start the season, and kept him off the big league roster until late April. More back trouble sent Massy back to the IL in late May; he returned for good almost a month later, but the 53 days he spent out of the big league lineup constituted an unfortunate feature of his season. Still, he finished with 14 homers and a respectable 104 wRC+ and .259 average in 100 games, but the Royals needed more playing time from him. Unfortunately, they didn’t get it in 2025. Instead, the ankle he sprained in early June kept him from playing in the majors until late August; the long spans spent on the IL and minor league rehab assignments distracted from the .375/.412/.484 he slashed during his down-the-stretch return. That late-season hot streak gave the Royals hope Massey was ready for a stellar 2026. His sizzling .364/.417/.545 eight-game start to the Cactus League campaign intensified that hope, but Massey went down once again when he suffered an early March calf strain. He’s on the 10-day IL retroactive to March 22. Whether Massey will be recovered and primed for play by the time those 10 days are up remains to be seen. It’s a good bet he’ll serve a stint in the minors on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Royals. Whenever he returns, though, questions and concerns about his health will surround him. They are unavoidable. And well-placed. Massey’s situation hasn’t reached Adalberto Mondesi-type proportions, but it feels like it could. That’s why this may well prove to be that ominous make-or-break season for Massey. If he’s healthy, look for him to contribute. If he’s not, it might be time for the Royals to make a move. View full article