Fountains Up (OOTP 26)

[artoodeetoo]

GAME SETTINGS
Platform: Steam
Game: OOTP 26
Role: GM
Trade settings: Hard
Play style: Sim but will interrupt for injury subs
GM Control: Trades and free agency

[artoodeetoo]

Last edited by artoodeetoo; 08-22-2025, 08:48 PM.

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artoodeetoo

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#3

08-14-2025, 12:44 PM

Reserved 2

Last edited by artoodeetoo; 08-19-2025, 09:03 PM.

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#4

08-14-2025, 12:45 PM

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#5

08-14-2025, 01:04 PM

Starting with August 14th here; the other thread was just too cluttered and I've been working on a new save.

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#6

08-14-2025, 01:06 PM

ROYALS MAILBAG
Trade deadline thoughts; Salvy extension on the table?

By artoodeetoo
08/14/2025

Thoughts on the trade deadline?

To me, the pitching acquisitions were just as much an indictment of the minor league depth as it was about the pile-up of injuries on the big-league roster. Kyle Wright has not been as good as hoped in the minors, even coming off shoulder surgery that had kept him out of major league action for over a full season. Prospects Chandler Champlain and Steven Zobac have struggled hard at Triple-A and Double-A, respectively.

The veteran reinforcements brought in have not panned out, either. Rich Hill made two below-average starts with the Royals before getting jettisoned off the roster. John Gant and Dallas Keuchel have had their ups and downs with Omaha, but neither one looks ready to contribute with the parent club. Justin Dunn has also been atrocious with an ERA over 7 in Triple-A action.

Enter JJ Picollo, who swung five deals to get six players in the days leading up to the deadline, including three for four on the 31st alone. Getting Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek for Freddy Fermin was talked about as one of the most underrated trades by outlets like MLB Network and ESPN, especially since Bergert was a consensus top-ten prospect in the Padres' system. Bailey Falter is a high-floor lefty that should hold down a back-end rotation spot at least through the end of the regular season, and is controlled for several more seasons beyond 2025.

Moving your very-solid backup catcher also tells me that they feel good about the catching depth in their system, and they should. Carter Jensen is close to MLB ready at just twenty-one. Blake Mitchell has battled injuries this season, but is set to come off the injured list within the next few days and rehab in Single-A.

The organization is still really high on him, as teams inquired about his services, but wouldn't make him available in any trade discussions. Then there are others like Ramon Ramirez, Luca Tresh, and then Brooks Bryan, their eighth-round pick who likely won't stick at catcher, but they really like the offensive potential.

I was less impressed with the position player pickups, but they all represented at least modest improvements even as rentals and bring postseason experience to the table. Mike Yazstremski has been very good, homering in his first Royals at-bat, and has been cited by Matt Quatraro as a "fountain of knowledge", which is huge for younger hitters like Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone.

Would you give Salvy a new deal?

His $13.5 million team option for 2026 is much more palatable for a team like Kansas City, as opposed to the $20M-plus salary hits of the past few years. No extension talks have commenced; but with Freddy Fermin gone, it's difficult to imagine the Royals not going into next season with Perez not on the roster in some fashion. In the event that they do decline the option, he would bring back a draft pick (if he signed elsewhere) as the Royals would almost assuredly tag him with a qualifying offer.

One thing that's pretty remarkable is that Perez is defending on a Gold Glove level this season. Will he win it? I don't know, but he should at least be a finalist given the down year defensively that Cal Raleigh is having, and the general weakness of the position (on a defensive level) this season. The only thing holding him back is that he doesn't have a ton of innings over some of the more established catchers, but he's 11-for-23 (47.8%) throwing out base-stealers, and his framing metrics have been positive all season long.

I'd offer a deal; but I'd keep it to no more than two years; or perhaps three if the third year has some sort of option attached. With Carter Jensen on the cusp of the majors, it's the next logical step that he could take over some of the back-up reps, perhaps as soon as this season if needed, but will more likely be on Opening Day of 2026.

What is your take on the state of the AL race?

From the Royals' perspective, the fact that they've struggled against the Red Sox and Twins, and are still just three games out of a wildcard spot is remarkable. They just took two of three from the Nationals; and now get the hapless White Sox for a chance to really close the gap on teams like the Yankees, the free-falling Blue Jays, and the Mariners.

Losing Bobby Witt for even a short period of time is going to hurt, but they've still managed to go 4-2 in his absence, and he's likely to return for the first game of the critical four-game home series with the Rangers that begins on Monday night if Matt Quatraro's remarks from a few nights ago are correct. Health again is going to be a big factor down the home stretch for the Royals, much like last year, because they're not deep.

Cleveland has also managed to stay in the race despite losing Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to a gambling scandal, and trading away veteran pitchers Shane Bieber and Paul Sewald. They fielded calls on outfielder Steven Kwan, but ultimately decided to keep him. It's good that they did as he's posted a 133 OPS+ in August, while Jose Ramirez has been in a lengthy slump with just a 61 OPS+ in the same time frame.

By the way, regarding the Red Sox -- they've gone from fringe playoff contender at the beginning of July to a legitimate World Series threat. Since July 1st, they've gone 26-10, which is the best record in baseball over that time frame. They also extended young star Roman Anthony, which is another feather in the cap of new baseball ops chief Craig Breslow.

His trade acquisitions have been solid with Steven Matz scoreless through eight innings of work, and Dustin May is 2-0 with a 2.02 ERA in his first two starts with the club.

Was it a mistake to bring Caglianone up when they did?

It's really too early to tell. The thing that a lot of people are discounting is that he's not striking out at a super-high rate (21.3%) for such a young player at this level. His BABIP is at an absurdly-low .167, which combined with an ever-increasing amount of plate appearances, suggests there is some real bad luck when you consider how the ball jumps off his bat, even on most of his batted-ball outs.

The only thing you'd like to see is a bit better walk rate (5.5%); but that doesn't include also getting hit five times, which spikes it to 8.2% if you include those PA's.

Also, with veterans like Randal Grichuk and Mike Yasztremski on the roster, he can just focus on hitting as those veterans are more accomplished in the field currently. That's not to say that he will be a DH-only the rest of the season, but he's a defensive liability as compared to the others, and the focus for the remainder of this season should be keeping his mind right at the dish. The offseason is when the real work will be put in for improving his defense.

Anything from the draft stand out?

Something that sticks out from the last few drafts is how different the front office approaches the higher rounds than the previous group. Dayton Moore prioritized high-floor over higher-ceiling, which is fine, but it's interesting that his right-hand man is so markedly different.

Some of that might be the influence of Brian Bridges, who is one of the more renowned amateur scouts in the game (and is another former Braves scout that knows both Moore and JJ Picollo). But some of that is also undeniably Picollo, who has worked hard to differentiate himself from Moore.

Dayton also really, really prioritized character. That's also okay, but I think it was prioritized to the detriment of simply getting the most talented player possible. Gavin Cross has stalled out in Double-A; for someone that came out of college with the pedigree that he had, it's a bit surprising. Asa Lacy has been a clear bust from 2020, although to be fair, 2020 was the crapshoot draft of all crapshoots.

2023 was the first draft where JJ Picollo had "significant" input (those were Moore's words) in setting up the draft board, and was a big champion for taking Blake Mitchell that year. He's still only a few years in, but that pick has been...meh. He's a very good receiver/thrower with good power and draws walks, but the hit tool has to come along at some point, or he's likely just a backup at the MLB level. Not ideal for an eighth-overall pick.

They were again looking to take a high school player (likely Bryce Rainer from what we've gleaned from public knowledge) with the sixth pick last year, but the best college slugger in years fell to them, and it was too good to pass up. Jac Caglianone has had mixed results at the MLB level so far, but there are encouraging signs for sure.

They've also been sneaky-good at convincing late-round players to sign -- righty Grayson Boles (18th round) was a last-minute signing as the Royals pried him away from Arizona with a $500,000 bonus, which may not seem like much, but he's highly-thought of enough that he's already in the Royals' top ten prospects by both BA and Fangraphs.

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artoodeetoo

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#7

08-15-2025, 02:40 PM

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS HEADLINES
BWJ expected back today; Royals sweep Southsiders

By artoodeetoo
08/18/2025

8/14 -- Royals sign Dalbec, LeMahieu to minors deals: The Royals have beefed up their minor league depth with a pair of long-time MLB veterans in infielders DJ LeMahieu and Bobby Dalbec, signing them to minor league pacts.

Spoiler

With Bobby Witt Jr on the shelf with a finger fracture at least through Sunday, the Royals appear to be taking few chances to ensure they have some continuity in case of injuries down the stretch run. It stands to reason that one (or both) will end up on the active roster prior to September 1st, which will make them playoff-eligible.

Kansas City is the third organization for the 30-year-old Dalbec in 2025, as he started with the White Sox in the spring, even getting into seven games in late April through early May before getting designated off the roster. In his limited sample, he hit just .222 (4-for-18) with a double, three walks, and six strikeouts. Interestingly enough, that stint pushed him over the three-year mark in service time, so if he ends up on the 40-man roster with the Royals, he would qualify for salary arbitration for the first time.

Just four days after electing free agency on May 6th, he signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee. In 298 total minor league plate appearances between the two organizations, he has a strong .901 OPS, although that only comes out to a 100 OPS+ at that level due to the strong bent towards hitters at the Triple-A level.

With his playoff experience, LeMahieu would be a better bet to make the postseason roster, but his deal did not include any guarantees. Surprisingly, he went nearly three weeks until the Royals signed him, being one of the few playoff contenders willing to sign him per Jon Morosi.

His signing brings back memories from just last season when the Royals signed 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel to a minors deal, making the active roster just prior to September 1st for the playoff run.

8/15 -- Seven Royals farmhands to participate in AFL: Arizona Fall League rosters were announced on Wednesday, as the Royals will be sending seven of their minor leaguers to Arizona in late October to play in the Arizona Fall Laague.

Spoiler

The headliner is catcher Carter Jensen, who also participated in the AFL last season. Others that are going are pitchers AJ Causey, Hunter Owen, Luinder Avila, Oscar Rayo, and Shane Panzini; along with infielder Javier Vaz. The Pirates, who are one of the other four teams affiliated with the Surprise Saguaros this season, have ten players on the roster. Red Sox 5, Twins 4 Rangers 4

Boston was next with five players, while the Twins and Rangers each placed four. While the Royals didn't place any Top 100 prospects on the roster, the Pirates' Termarr Johnson (#48), Texas' Sebastian Walcott (#11), and Minnesota's Walker Jenkins (#3) highlight the top prospects.

The Royals' top two prospects in catcher Blake Mitchell (#4 overall) and Jac Caglianone (#33 overall) were not eligible as they did not meet the criteria for selection. Mitchell has not played in enough games this season, and Caglianone is currently on an MLB roster with a high likelihood of remaining there through season's end.

8/16 -- Lugo, Royals blank the Sox: On a season-high 110 pitches, Seth Lugo bamboozled the White Sox lineup with just six hits allowed over 8 1/3 innings, striking out eight in a 4-0 victory over Chicago.

Spoiler

With the victory, he's the first Royals pitcher to reach the double-digit win mark. Matt Quatraro sent Lugo out for the ninth with every intention of having him finish out the shutout, but after a single and a fielder's choice, decided to make the change with one out.

"I thought with the single, if he could get the groundball for a double play, I'll leave him in to try and get that final out," he said. "But once (Corey) Julks beat out the relay throw, it was a bridge too far. I had Hunter (Harvey) up and ready to go, and it was an easier decision after that play. Plus, the standing ovation and curtain call he received were fun to watch."

Again, the offense has still not picked up the pace appreciably since the trade deadline, but they're starting to string together more hits in key spots. They batted around in the seventh inning, scoring three times and sending ten men to the plate.

Leadoff hitter Mike Yastrzemski led the Royals with three hits, going 3-for-5 with a double. Since coming over from the Giants, he has been hitting at a blistering pace, posting a 147 OPS+ in August. Jonathan India also had a couple of hits to help pace the offense, with Maikel Garcia drawing three walks and stealing his 22nd base of the season.

"Would I like to see a little bit more in the early going? Sure, but it was nice to see a crooked number in the late innings to put things away," Quatraro said. "Don't get me wrong, I'll take 1-0, 2-1 wins all day, but getting that insurance was nice to see."

8/17 -- Salvy day-to-day: After leaving the game for a pinch-runner in the eighth inning of Friday's win, Salvador Perez was listed as day-to-day heading into the game on Saturday night with what was termed as lower back tightness.

Spoiler

Perez was able to leg out a stand-up double in that frame, but winced halfway to second base and called for the trainers to come out after reaching safely. He was lifted from the game as a precaution, but is not expected to go on the injured list.

"Could that change, sure," said manager Matt Quatraro, "But Salvy and the trainers have gotten together, and we're going to try to keep him as fresh as possible, so we're going to lean on Luke (Maile) quite a bit to handle the catching duties full-time over the next handful of games."

With Freddy Fermin out of the picture, the Royals don't have another catcher on the 40-man roster with MLB experience. That would likely fall to either Carter Jensen or Luca Tresh, although the Royals could use MJ Melendez on an emergency basis if Perez can't go, even as a DH.

"It's something that we've batted around a bit as a management team with the front office," Quatraro went on to say. "MJ hasn't caught in a while, but do we also consider maybe going and getting someone? That's not a question I can fully answer, but I know that JJ and his team are looking at different avenues in case Sal can't go."

8/17 -- Falter delivers stirring performance in victory: In just his third start since coming over from the Pirates, Bailey Falter turned in one of his best performances of the season as he allowed just two earned runs over eight innings as the Royals cruised in a 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Spoiler

For the first time since June 10th, the Royals are over .500 as they moved to 62-61 on the season, and within a game-and-a-half of the final wildcard spot. Falter scattered five hits and struck out three without walking a batter before giving way to Taylor Clarke, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

"This is the guy we envisioned getting when we traded for him," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Brian (Sweeney) has past experience with him, so he's very familiar with what he can and can't do, and what he's really good at is inducing weak contact and keeping the ball in the park."

The last part isn't entirely true, as he's allowed one homerun in each of his three starts. But he's managed to limit the damage on these homeruns, as all three have been of the solo variety. However, it is true that he does limit hard contact, as he has a 41% groundball rate and an average exit velo of less than 90 MPH.

Now 4-1 on their current homestand since losing two of three to both the Red Sox and Twins, the Royals will now look to clinching a series win with a victory tomorrow. Ryan Bergert will make his third Royals' start against Jonathan Cannon.

8/18 -- Royals win in extras to claim sweep: Much like a Broadway musical, the Royals came full-circle on Sunday afternoon with Mike Yastrzemski playing the lead role in the opening and closing acts, with some drama in between.

Spoiler

Yaz led off the bottom of the first by hitting Jonathan Cannon's first pitch into the fountains in right-center field to give the Royals a 1-0 lead right from the jump. He also was responsible for the game's final run, a sac fly nearly four-and-a-half hours later in the bottom of the 12th inning to break a 10-10 tie, giving the Royals an 11-10 win to sweep the series.

The game looked in hand rather early, as a seven-run fifth inning put the Royals up 9-5 a little over halfway through the game. They ended up adding another run to double up their lead, but the White Sox battled back against Daniel Lynch IV with five runs in the seventh inning to tie the game, including a three-run bomb from Kyle Teel. It would remain that way through the next four innings, culminating in the Yastrzemski sac fly that brought Tyler Tolbert home.

"I give credit to the guys for keeping up the fight even when we surrendered the big lead," Quatraro noted. "After they tied it up, they put up zeroes for the next five innings. That's just huge on so many levels, and going into a pretty big series against the Rangers this week, having that positive momentum is huge for us."

However, the Royals had to overcome some mis-steps, both by players and by managerial decisions, to win the game. Quatraro pinch-hit Randal Grichuk for center fielder Kyle Isbel against lefty Tyler Alexander, which seems fine on the surface, but Isbel was 2-for-3 in the game and was swinging the bat well. Grichuk popped out on the first pitch of the at-bat.

That move forced the Royals into a worse defensive alignment by putting Yastrzemski in center; where he has a decent amount of experience, but is still a major drop-off from Isbel in defensive prowess. He also pinch-hit Adam Frazier in the ninth for Jonathan India only to try and bunt Michael Massey, who pinch-ran for Jac Caglianone, over to second. After a pair of bunts went foul, he flew out to center.

"Adam's very good with the bat, bunts well, and we wanted to play the match-up in that case and the Grichuk at-bat earlier," he said. "Grich has had some big pinch-hit appearances for us, but it just didn't work out at the time."

In the bottom of the 10th, Tolbert was on second as the ghost runner, and was thrown out at home by Luis Robert Jr on a great throw for the second out of the inning. It was a sharply-hit ground ball with the outfield shallow for a potential play at the plate, and Robert made the Royals pay for what turned out to be a pretty poor baserunning decision.

That said, the Royals' bullpen came through in a big way, with Carlos Estevez in particular standing out -- he went two innings, striking out four while allowing just one actual baserunner (not counting the ghost runner in the two innings he pitched) on a walk. Hunter Harvey, Angel Zerpa, and the eventual winning pitcher, Lucas Erceg, also helped combine with Estevez for 5 2/3 scoreless frames of relief. Ryan Bergert got the start, and scuffled through five innings, with five earned runs and five strikeouts.

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artoodeetoo

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#8

08-15-2025, 10:06 PM

MLB NEWS WIRE
Red Sox extend Anthony; Scherzer, Walker out for season

By MLB.com staff
08/18/2025

8/14 -- : After several opinions, Toronto righty Max Scherzer was placed on the 60-day injured list with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Spoiler

It's difficult to imagine at 41 years old that he'll try to pitch again in 2026 after a catastrophic injury like this, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic spoke directly with Scherzer upon the news breaking, and the veteran righty told him that he plans on pitching next season after surgery and rehab.

In what will be almost-assuredly a first-ballot HOF career no matter when he steps away, Scherzer has the second-most wins by an active pitcher (only Justin Verlander has more). MLB Network's Jim Bowden noted that there would be a market for Scherzer in the offseason, should he decide to return for 2026.

"It's a bad injury regardless because he's over forty," Bowden said, "But it's not Tommy John, at least. His experience and his still-elite command will be his calling cards in free agency, should he decide to come back next year. That's still valuable to lots of teams, even with the velocity not as dominant as it once was."

Fresh off a rehab appearance, Shane Bieber will step into Scherzer's spot in the rotation after being acquired by the Blue Jays from Cleveland prior to the deadline a few weeks ago. In three starts with Buffalo, covering sixteen innings, he allowed twenty-three hits, fanned nineteen with just four walks, showing the solid command that he's known for.

8/15 -- Anthony extension with Red Sox finalized; terms disclosed: A few days ago, the Red Sox announced they had extended young outfielder Roman Anthony to an eight-year extension, but the terms have been finalized and released to the public.

Spoiler

In addition to the guaranteed $130 million over eight years, there is a $5 million signing bonus, as well as a team option for a ninth season valued at $34 million, and the opportunity to earn as much as $230 million over the life of the deal if all prerequisites are met.

A few of those include up to $2 million for winning the MVP, and also a $1 million bonus for a first or second-place Rookie of the Year finish this season. Those MVP bonuses also include lesser bonuses for top-ten finishes, and $1 million escalators kick in for base salaries if those benchmarks are met. He also could earn an extra $200,000 per season if he is named to the All-Star team.

"I couldn't think of a better city to play in [for] the next eight to nine years of my life,” Anthony said. “And I'm super excited. I want to thank all the fans who show up every day and continue to support us regardless of the outcome. It's really just a special place to play and a special place to show up every single day. I couldn't be more excited for this and couldn't be more thankful for everyone in this room and everyone who's helped me get here today.”

Anthony was barely two months into his debut season before getting signed to the extension, although he's not the quickest Red Sox prospect to get signed to a long-term extension. Both Ceddanne Rafaela (nine days) and Kristian Campbell (six days) signed their deals sooner than their newest teammate, and there's also speculation that the Red Sox are interested in inking Marcelo Mayer to a long-term deal as well.

8/16 -- Phillies' Walker out for season; Nola activated: Despite losing veteran righty Taijuan Walker to a hamstring injury for the season, they'll get Aaron Nola back from his rehab assignment tonight for his first start since May.

Spoiler

On May 13th, Nola was tagged for nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-7 home loss to the Cardinals, and was placed on the injured list a few days later with an ankle injury. After several setbacks, he finally made his first rehab start on August 11th, and was solid with two earned runs in five innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

He has just one win in nine starts with Philly this season, going 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA. Despite that ghastly ERA, he has peripheral marks that are lower than that figure with an FIP of 5.33 and much-lower SIERA of 3.47.

Walker was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Phillies, but could be moved to the 60-day list later in the season if needed to add additional depth to the 40-man roster. He's had a solid year in his age-32 season with a 3-6 mark and 3.81 ERA, but has similar peripherals to Nola except his SIERA is nearly a full run higher than Nola's.

8/17 -- Nola bombarded in first start back: Making his first start since May 13th against the Cardinals, Aaron Nola was touched for six earned runs in four innings as the Nationals pounded the Phillies 10-3.

Spoiler

Losers of five of their last seven, the Phillies have gone from up by two games since the beginning of August to down two to the Mets. Nola replaced Taijuan Walker on the roster, as he was placed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring injury that turned out to be a severe strain.

They're also down an outfielder, as Max Kepler was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning after suffering a fractured thumb off a pitch from Nats hurler Cade Cavalli. Trea Turner was also pulled from the game after getting hit on his left foot by a Cavalli pitch, but is listed as day-to-day by manager Rob Thomson.

Johan Rojas was called up in place of Kepler, who is expected to be out the rest of the season, but could return in time for the postseason. Newcomer Harrison Bader, who has played a reserve role to this point, is expected to play a much bigger role going forward.

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artoodeetoo

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#9

08-19-2025, 09:27 PM

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals, Rangers split series; LeMahieu added to active roster

By artoodeetoo
08/22/2025

8/18 -- BWJ activated; Harvey to injured list: Kansas City made a couple of roster moves ahead of their series opener with the Rangers, as Bobby Witt Jr (finger) was activated off the injured list, but reportedly is still not completely back to 100%. Michael Massey was optioned to Omaha to make room.

Spoiler

Michael Lorenzen was also activated off the injured list, but they'll see Hunter Harvey head back to the IL for the third time since joining the Royals last year at the deadline. He'll be out for the next three-to-four weeks with what was termed as an adductor strain, but is not expected to miss the rest of the season. Lorenzen is expected to face his old club on Wednesday night in his first start back from injury.

Witt was hit by a pitch on his non-throwing hand on August 9th, and was day-to-day until being placed on the IL on August 11th. He's been in the dugout with the team in uniform despite not being active, but revealed after yesterday's win that the finger is not 100% healed.

"The time on the IL was to make sure that it was set properly, but that after that it was up to me if I wanted to keep playing once I came off the list," he said. "Of course, I was ready to get back on the field, so I'm excited to get back out there even if there's a risk if it gets hit that it could break again."

With his playoff experience, LeMahieu would be a better bet to make the postseason roster, but his deal did not include any guarantees. Surprisingly, he went nearly three weeks until the Royals signed him, being one of the few playoff contenders willing to sign him per Jon Morosi.

His signing brings back memories from just last season when the Royals signed 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel to a minors deal, making the active roster just prior to September 1st for the playoff run.

8/19 -- Pasquatch powers Royals win: Vinnie Pasquantino nearly single-handedly powered the Royals' 3-1 win over the Rangers, hitting his 20th homerun to not only push him ahead of Salvador Perez for the team lead, but set a new career-high.

Spoiler

Pasquatch was 2-for-4 with two RBI, but singles from Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel were the only other hits from the offense. Perez drove in his 70th RBI with a sac fly in the first inning, part of a two-run first inning that ended up being enough to coast to the win, thanks to a strong effort from the pitching staff.

Michael Wacha pitched the first six innings, allowing just three hits, one earned run, and two walks with three strikeouts to pick up his sixth win of the season. Four relievers got through the next three innings, with Lucas Erceg giving Carlos Estevez the night off after yesterday's two-inning effort in the extra-inning triumph over Chicago.

"We did have Carlos ready to go for a few batters if needed to try and get the save if Lucas couldn't finish it off, but he was brilliant in closing it out," manager Matt Quatraro said. "Carlos has gone multiple innings before, but we try to give him a day off after that if we can manage it."

8/20 -- Royals drop slugfest to the Rangers: It was a rare poor outing for Noah Cameron, as the rookie lefty suffered through a brief outing, lasting just sixty-eight pitches through five innings before getting replaced.

Spoiler

He was charged with five earned runs (six total), and struck out just three as the Rangers hit a trio of two-run homeruns on their way to handing the Royals an 8-5 defeat. Jac Caglianone also homered, but it wasn't enough to counteract the Rangers' salvo.

"It was one of those days where you feel really good going in, but the other side just has your number a little bit," he said after the game. "I know there have been days where I go in and feel like crap, and it ends up being a good outing. Baseball is a funny game like that sometimes."

Wyatt Langford homered in the first against Cameron with a man on (helped by an error), and Joc Pederson would later homer off Cameron in the fifth as part of their four-run inning to go up 6-nil. Kansas City nearly battled all the way back in the bottom of the fifth, coming back to within one, but were held in check the rest of the way.

Texas tacked on two more in the sixth, with Marcus Semien hitting a two-run homerun for some additional insurance. Mike Yastrzemski reached third base with two outs in the sixth, but that's the farthest any Royal baserunner would reach the rest of the game.

8/21 -- Royals win in walk-off fashion: Helped by one of the best defensive plays from a pitcher in recent memory by Sam Long in the top of the 10th, the Royals were spurred on to take the victory with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning to escape with a 5-4 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night.

Spoiler

With Josh Smith on third base and one out, Texas tried to surprise the Royals with a squeeze play, but Long dove off the mound to catch a popped-up bunt attempt from Marcus Semien. Smith, who was steamrolling towards home, had to put on the brakes and try to get back to third, but Long fired a dart from the ground in a seated position to Maikel Garcia to turn the double play.

"One of the biggest plays of the year, I think we'll look back on that as," manager Matt Quatraro, clearly still pumped from the walk-off win. "I was just hoping he'd make the out at home, but it was an extremely heads-up play on his part to have the wherewithal to fire back to third. There was a bit of luck involved as Sam's momentum kind of carried him towards the ball, but it was still a great play regardless."

The Royals had an advantage with Bobby Witt Jr starting as the ghost runner in the bottom of the inning, and Vinnie Pasquantino put him within 90 feet of winning the game on a sharp single to left. Garcia, who made the final putout of the previous inning, came up next and smacked a long fly ball that missed leaving the yard by about five feet and was caught out in center, but it was plenty long enough to get Witt home and put the Royals back to within a half-game of the final wildcard spot.

"The fans, they're coming out and really giving us a lift in these situations," Witt said afterwards. "It was deafening going down the line; I couldn't even really hear the guys at the plate until I was almost there."

8/22 -- Bullpen implodes late as Rangers salvage final game: Down 6-2 in the sixth, the Royals would score twice in each of the next two innings to tie the score, but Texas tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth and managed to hold the Royals off to secure a split, handing the Royals an 8-6 loss.

Spoiler

Kyle Isbel, who hit a two-run homerun in the fourth, singled home a run as part of back-to-back RBI singles from he and Luke Maile in the sixth inning. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 21st homerun in the seventh inning, a two-run shot to tie the game at six.

"It was for certain a playoff-type atmosphere, with the stands nearly full and both of the teams in the thick of the race," said manager Matt Quatraro. "We're disappointed we couldn't get the final game, but there's still a lot of baseball yet to be decided."

In fact, the Rangers only had a plus-2 run differential in the four games.

Despite his brilliance this season, Seth Lugo labored through a rare tough start, allowing a season-high six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, which is his shortest outing since going just 3 1/3 against Detroit all the way back on May 11th. He struck out seven, but threw over 100 pitches and struggled with the top of the Rangers' lineup, namely leadoff hitter Evan Carter.

"He's a fantastic young player," Lugo said of the Rangers' young outfielder. "I knew I'd be in for it against him when he took me for ten pitches in the first at-bat and then went yard, and it didn't get much better after that."

Carter reached base four times, falling a triple short of the cycle. He also drew a walk, stole a base, and scored three of their eight runs. Joc Pederson, who has struggled much of 2025, had the key blow in the game; a bases-clearing double that eventually put Lugo out of the game with two gone in the fifth.

"The game potentially looks much different if he gets Pederson there," said Quatraro. "He had him down on two strikes, but left a pitch out there with too much of the plate; and don't let his average fool you, he can still hit the ball pretty well."

Kansas City now enters a stretch where they'll play a bit tougher of a schedule, with six games against Detroit (three of those on the road), four at Cleveland, and three each against the Angels and Phillies. They'll play the Phillies on the road, while they will get the Angels at home.

8/22 -- LeMahieu contract purchased; promoted to active roster: It's now official -- the Royals have selected DJ LeMahieu's contract from Triple-A Omaha, and will report to the Royals on the road, where they'll begin a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers tonight.

Spoiler

In eight games with the Storm Chasers, DJL slashed .303/.429/.364 in forty-two plate appearances, drawing eight walks and driving in three runs with a pair of doubles, playing mainly second and third base, along with one DH appearance.

Tyler Tolbert was optioned to Omaha to make room on the active roster, but with two open spots on the 40-man roster, no corresponding move had to be made to accomodate LeMahieu there.

In addition, Luke Maile's time with the Royals could be coming to a close potentially, as the Royals have signed veteran catcher Ali Sanchez to a minor league deal and will report to Triple-A.

Maile is in the middle of his second stint with the Royals this season and has been a steadying presence, but has had an extended run behind the dish with the Royals due to a minor back injury to primary catcher Salvador Perez that has relegated him to DH duty in the past week.

Sanchez is a defensive-first catcher that would give the Royals a Freddy Fermin-like option behind the plate, although Fermin became at least a league-average hitter (or close to) by the time he was traded away. Sanchez has played for four other MLB teams since 2020, and has posted a remarkably-bad .409 OPS (15 OPS+) in 120 career MLB plate appearances between those four teams. He does have a much better Triple-A profile, but is still a slightly below-average Triple-A hitter over his career.

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artoodeetoo

MVP

• Join Date: Dec 2015
• Posts: 3696

---

#10

08-19-2025, 09:30 PM

MLB NEWS WIRE
Royals to welcome BWJ back; Cubs nearly swept in five-game series with Brewers

By MLB.com staff
08/22/2025

8/18 -- Cubs make big move in Power Rankings: Needing to make up some ground against the red-hot Brewers, the Cubs needed a good week last week and they did just that, sweeping the Blue Jays on the road and taking two of three from the Pirates at home, pulling to within four games in the division.

Spoiler

They'll continue their homestand tonight with a rarity in baseball -- a five-game series with the aforementioned Brewers; although Monday is a twin-bill with them as they are making up a game from June 19th that was postponed due to rain.

However, the Brewers are on a historic run since July 1st, as they've gone 29-10 since then, which is nearly at a 75% winning clip. They had an 11-game win streak draped around the All-Star break, and have gotten off to a 12-3 start in August.

The Cubs' 5-1 week (Mon.-Sun.) was the best week they've had since June 30th through July 6th, when they were also 5-1. Milwaukee also went 5-1 last week, erasing any potential gains from their best week in quite some time.

"All we can do is just focus on 1-0 every game," said Cubs manager Craig Counsell, going up against his former team this week. "Milwaukee's playing the best baseball of just about anyone out there, so it's a pretty tough task already."

Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to sit atop the rankings as they've done for the past few weeks, with the Tigers, Cubs, and Red Sox rounding out the top five. Other big movers were the Royals (9th), Padres (14th), and Rays (15th) moving into the top-half of the league.

Philadelphia and Toronto were a few of the biggest fallers in the rankings, dropping to 8th and 17th, respectively. Seattle has also slipped precipitously, falling to 18th as they've lost their grip on the final AL Wildcard spot for now.

8/18 -- Royals to activate Bobby Witt Jr: The Royals are activating All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr off the 10-day injured list just prior to their series with the Rangers that begins tonight. To make room on the roster, the Royals optioned fellow infielder Michael Massey to Triple-A Omaha.

Spoiler

Witt, who has been in uniform in the dugout despite being on the injured list and ineligible to play, has been taking BP and infield practice in pre-game warmups for the past few days; and while he mentioned he's not 100%, that the broken finger he suffered last week has "generally healed", and he's at the point where he is less likely to re-incur injury.

"He was cleared to return by the team doctors and training staff to resume some basic baseball activities a few days ago," said Royals manager Matt Quatraro after yesterday's extra-inning win over the White Sox. "We're excited to get him back in the lineup and helping us win games."

While not having quite the strong season he did in 2024 in finishing second in the AL MVP race to Aaron Judge, Witt is still amongst the leaders amongst AL shortstops in OPS (.829), steals (27), OPS+ (125), and RBI (60).

8/19 -- Brewers lose key member of bullpen: Milwaukee's pitching staff has managed to avoid serious injuries for the most part, but they'll be without one of their key contributors for the remainder of the season potentially.

Spoiler

Right-hander Grant Anderson, who has been a steadying force in the middle relief corps for Pat Murphy's Brewers, could miss up to six weeks with an elbow strain, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He worked in the second half of their doubleheader with the Cubs on Monday, working 2 1/3 innings of relief as the Brewers took both games of the twinbill.

"We were given a four-to-six week timeline on the recovery," Murphy noted after their doubleheader triumph. "We don't think it's serious enough for surgery, but elbows can be tricky, so it's something that we're going to monitor pretty closely with our training staff."

The Brewers did some re-shuffling of their pitching staff, optioning Logan Henderson and DL Hall to Triple-A, along with infielder/catcher Anthony Seigler. They re-called pitchers Chad Patrick, Rob Zastryzny, and Joel Payamps to bring the pitching staff back to thirteen players, after running at a dozen for several weeks.

Milwaukee also is expected to activate Jacob Misiorowski from the injured list in the coming days, as he'll make his first start since August 3rd on Thursday against the Cubs.

8/21 -- Royals to purchase DJ LeMahieu's contract: After a brief stint with their Triple-A affiliate, the Royals are set to add DJ LeMahieu to their active roster as early as Friday morning as they have officially purchased his contract from Triple-A Omaha.

Spoiler

In eight games with the Storm Chasers, DJL slashed .303/.429/.364 in forty-two plate appearances, drawing eight walks and driving in three runs with a pair of doubles, playing mainly second and third base, along with one DH appearance.

No corresponding move has been made, but it's widely expected that the Royals will option utility man Tyler Tolbert to the minors. LeMahieu sat unsigned for nearly three weeks before the Royals signed him, along with former Red Sox and White Sox third baseman Bobby Dalbec to minor league deals roughly ten to eleven days ago.

In 142 plate appearances with the Yankees earlier this season, LeMahieu posted a .674 OPS (92 OPS+) with just three doubles and two homeruns out of his thirty-four total hits. Even with the lack of power, LeMahieu will bring postseason experience to the roster, much like Yuli Gurriel last season.

8/22 -- Cubs snap Brewers' win streak: On Thursday, the Cubs narrowly avoided becoming the first team since 2006 to get swept in a five-game regular season series, when the Red Sox were swept at home from August 18th through the 21st, which included a twinbill on Monday that they lost both ends of.

Spoiler

Tied at one heading to the bottom of the 10th, Justin Turner led off with a single, but Moises Ballesteros was thrown out at home to erase the 'ghost' runner. However, Pete Crow-Armstrong would come through with a two-out walk-off single to score Turner from third for the victory.

The similarities between the two series is striking -- aside from the Cubs avoiding the sweep, they both ran from August 18th through the 21st, and both had a double-header on the 18th of the same month nearly twenty years apart. For reference, current reigning MVP Aaron Judge was just fourteen years old at the time, and Derek Jeter was in the midst of one of his best seasons ever, finishing second in the MVP voting and winning his second Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

"We just didn't get it done in this series," said a disappointed-looking Craig Counsell after the win. "I'm glad that we won the game, but we missed out on a golden opportunity to make this division race a bit tighter."

Despite the rough series, the Cubs still are far away the biggest wildcard favorite, as they're two games ahead of the Phillies for the top wildcard spot, and six games up from the final wildcard position. Still, it's difficult to imagine being a a Cubs fan at this point, and not coming away massively disappointed over the results from this week.

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Royals 40-Man Roster (Updated: August 22nd, 2025)
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL
24	Michael Lorenzen	RHP	R/R	01/04/92	6'3"	215	CS Fullerton
30	Kyle Wright*	RHP	R/R	10/02/95	6'4"	200	Vanderbilt
32	Stephen Kolek*	RHP	R/R	04/18/97	6'3"	210	Texas A&M
36	Bailey Falter	LHP	L/L	04/24/97	6'4"	205	Chino Hills (CA) HS
38	Ryan Bergert*	RHP	R/R	03/08/00	6'1"	210	West Virginia
41	Daniel Lynch IV	LHP	L/L	11/17/96	6'6"	190	Virginia
45	Taylor Clarke	RHP	R/R	05/13/93	6'4"	210	College of Charleston
46	John Schreiber	RHP	R/R	03/05/94	6'3"	220	University of NW Ohio
48	Alec Marsh (IL-60)	RHP	R/R	05/14/98	6'2"	220	Arizona State
50	Kris Bubic (IL-60)	LHP	L/L	08/19/97	6'3"	220	Stanford
52	Michael Wacha	RHP	R/R	07/01/91	6'6"	215	Texas A&M
53	Carlos Estevez	RHP	R/R	12/28/92	6'6"	275	None
55	Cole Ragans (IL-60)	LHP	L/L	12/12/97	6'4"	190	North Florida Christian HS
56	Hunter Harvey (IL-15)	RHP	R/R	12/09/94	6'3"	175	Bandys HS (NC)
58	Luinder Avila	RHP	R/R	08/21/01	6'3"	195	None
60	Lucas Erceg	RHP	R/R	05/01/95	6'2"	215	Menlo College (CA)
61	Angel Zerpa	LHP	L/L	09/27/99	6'	175	None
62	Jonathan Bowlan*	RHP	R/R	12/01/96	6'6"	260	Memphis
64	Steven Cruz (IL-15)	RHP	R/R	06/15/99	6'7"	235	None
65	Noah Cameron	LHP	L/L	07/17/99	6'3"	220	Central Arkansas
66	James McArthur (IL-60)	RHP	R/R	12/11/96	6'7"	230	Ole Miss
67	Seth Lugo	RHP	R/R	11/17/89	6'4"	225	Centenary College (LA)
87	Eric Cerantola*	RHP	R/R	05/02/00	6'5"	220	Mississippi State
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL
13	Salvador Perez	C/1B	R/R	05/10/90	6'4"	240	None
17	Luke Maile	C	R/R	02/06/91	6'3"	225	Kentucky

[artoodeetoo]

Reserved 2

[artoodeetoo]

Reserved 3

[artoodeetoo]

Starting with August 14th here; the other thread was just too cluttered and I've been working on a new save.

[artoodeetoo]

ROYALS MAILBAG
Trade deadline thoughts; Salvy extension on the table?

By artoodeetoo
08/14/2025

Thoughts on the trade deadline?

To me, the pitching acquisitions were just as much an indictment of the minor league depth as it was about the pile-up of injuries on the big-league roster. Kyle Wright has not been as good as hoped in the minors, even coming off shoulder surgery that had kept him out of major league action for over a full season. Prospects Chandler Champlain and Steven Zobac have struggled hard at Triple-A and Double-A, respectively.

The veteran reinforcements brought in have not panned out, either. Rich Hill made two below-average starts with the Royals before getting jettisoned off the roster. John Gant and Dallas Keuchel have had their ups and downs with Omaha, but neither one looks ready to contribute with the parent club. Justin Dunn has also been atrocious with an ERA over 7 in Triple-A action.

Enter JJ Picollo, who swung five deals to get six players in the days leading up to the deadline, including three for four on the 31st alone. Getting Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek for Freddy Fermin was talked about as one of the most underrated trades by outlets like MLB Network and ESPN, especially since Bergert was a consensus top-ten prospect in the Padres' system. Bailey Falter is a high-floor lefty that should hold down a back-end rotation spot at least through the end of the regular season, and is controlled for several more seasons beyond 2025.

Moving your very-solid backup catcher also tells me that they feel good about the catching depth in their system, and they should. Carter Jensen is close to MLB ready at just twenty-one. Blake Mitchell has battled injuries this season, but is set to come off the injured list within the next few days and rehab in Single-A.

The organization is still really high on him, as teams inquired about his services, but wouldn't make him available in any trade discussions. Then there are others like Ramon Ramirez, Luca Tresh, and then Brooks Bryan, their eighth-round pick who likely won't stick at catcher, but they really like the offensive potential.

I was less impressed with the position player pickups, but they all represented at least modest improvements even as rentals and bring postseason experience to the table. Mike Yazstremski has been very good, homering in his first Royals at-bat, and has been cited by Matt Quatraro as a "fountain of knowledge", which is huge for younger hitters like Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone.

Would you give Salvy a new deal?

His $13.5 million team option for 2026 is much more palatable for a team like Kansas City, as opposed to the $20M-plus salary hits of the past few years. No extension talks have commenced; but with Freddy Fermin gone, it's difficult to imagine the Royals not going into next season with Perez not on the roster in some fashion. In the event that they do decline the option, he would bring back a draft pick (if he signed elsewhere) as the Royals would almost assuredly tag him with a qualifying offer.

One thing that's pretty remarkable is that Perez is defending on a Gold Glove level this season. Will he win it? I don't know, but he should at least be a finalist given the down year defensively that Cal Raleigh is having, and the general weakness of the position (on a defensive level) this season. The only thing holding him back is that he doesn't have a ton of innings over some of the more established catchers, but he's 11-for-23 (47.8%) throwing out base-stealers, and his framing metrics have been positive all season long.

I'd offer a deal; but I'd keep it to no more than two years; or perhaps three if the third year has some sort of option attached. With Carter Jensen on the cusp of the majors, it's the next logical step that he could take over some of the back-up reps, perhaps as soon as this season if needed, but will more likely be on Opening Day of 2026.

What is your take on the state of the AL race?

From the Royals' perspective, the fact that they've struggled against the Red Sox and Twins, and are still just three games out of a wildcard spot is remarkable. They just took two of three from the Nationals; and now get the hapless White Sox for a chance to really close the gap on teams like the Yankees, the free-falling Blue Jays, and the Mariners.

Losing Bobby Witt for even a short period of time is going to hurt, but they've still managed to go 4-2 in his absence, and he's likely to return for the first game of the critical four-game home series with the Rangers that begins on Monday night if Matt Quatraro's remarks from a few nights ago are correct. Health again is going to be a big factor down the home stretch for the Royals, much like last year, because they're not deep.

Cleveland has also managed to stay in the race despite losing Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to a gambling scandal, and trading away veteran pitchers Shane Bieber and Paul Sewald. They fielded calls on outfielder Steven Kwan, but ultimately decided to keep him. It's good that they did as he's posted a 133 OPS+ in August, while Jose Ramirez has been in a lengthy slump with just a 61 OPS+ in the same time frame.

By the way, regarding the Red Sox -- they've gone from fringe playoff contender at the beginning of July to a legitimate World Series threat. Since July 1st, they've gone 26-10, which is the best record in baseball over that time frame. They also extended young star Roman Anthony, which is another feather in the cap of new baseball ops chief Craig Breslow.

His trade acquisitions have been solid with Steven Matz scoreless through eight innings of work, and Dustin May is 2-0 with a 2.02 ERA in his first two starts with the club.

Was it a mistake to bring Caglianone up when they did?

It's really too early to tell. The thing that a lot of people are discounting is that he's not striking out at a super-high rate (21.3%) for such a young player at this level. His BABIP is at an absurdly-low .167, which combined with an ever-increasing amount of plate appearances, suggests there is some real bad luck when you consider how the ball jumps off his bat, even on most of his batted-ball outs.

The only thing you'd like to see is a bit better walk rate (5.5%); but that doesn't include also getting hit five times, which spikes it to 8.2% if you include those PA's.

Also, with veterans like Randal Grichuk and Mike Yasztremski on the roster, he can just focus on hitting as those veterans are more accomplished in the field currently. That's not to say that he will be a DH-only the rest of the season, but he's a defensive liability as compared to the others, and the focus for the remainder of this season should be keeping his mind right at the dish. The offseason is when the real work will be put in for improving his defense.

Anything from the draft stand out?

Something that sticks out from the last few drafts is how different the front office approaches the higher rounds than the previous group. Dayton Moore prioritized high-floor over higher-ceiling, which is fine, but it's interesting that his right-hand man is so markedly different.

Some of that might be the influence of Brian Bridges, who is one of the more renowned amateur scouts in the game (and is another former Braves scout that knows both Moore and JJ Picollo). But some of that is also undeniably Picollo, who has worked hard to differentiate himself from Moore.

Dayton also really, really prioritized character. That's also okay, but I think it was prioritized to the detriment of simply getting the most talented player possible. Gavin Cross has stalled out in Double-A; for someone that came out of college with the pedigree that he had, it's a bit surprising. Asa Lacy has been a clear bust from 2020, although to be fair, 2020 was the crapshoot draft of all crapshoots.

2023 was the first draft where JJ Picollo had "significant" input (those were Moore's words) in setting up the draft board, and was a big champion for taking Blake Mitchell that year. He's still only a few years in, but that pick has been...meh. He's a very good receiver/thrower with good power and draws walks, but the hit tool has to come along at some point, or he's likely just a backup at the MLB level. Not ideal for an eighth-overall pick.

They were again looking to take a high school player (likely Bryce Rainer from what we've gleaned from public knowledge) with the sixth pick last year, but the best college slugger in years fell to them, and it was too good to pass up. Jac Caglianone has had mixed results at the MLB level so far, but there are encouraging signs for sure.

They've also been sneaky-good at convincing late-round players to sign -- righty Grayson Boles (18th round) was a last-minute signing as the Royals pried him away from Arizona with a $500,000 bonus, which may not seem like much, but he's highly-thought of enough that he's already in the Royals' top ten prospects by both BA and Fangraphs.

[artoodeetoo]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS HEADLINES
BWJ expected back today; Royals sweep Southsiders

By artoodeetoo
08/18/2025

8/14 -- Royals sign Dalbec, LeMahieu to minors deals: The Royals have beefed up their minor league depth with a pair of long-time MLB veterans in infielders DJ LeMahieu and Bobby Dalbec, signing them to minor league pacts.

Spoiler

With Bobby Witt Jr on the shelf with a finger fracture at least through Sunday, the Royals appear to be taking few chances to ensure they have some continuity in case of injuries down the stretch run. It stands to reason that one (or both) will end up on the active roster prior to September 1st, which will make them playoff-eligible.

Kansas City is the third organization for the 30-year-old Dalbec in 2025, as he started with the White Sox in the spring, even getting into seven games in late April through early May before getting designated off the roster. In his limited sample, he hit just .222 (4-for-18) with a double, three walks, and six strikeouts. Interestingly enough, that stint pushed him over the three-year mark in service time, so if he ends up on the 40-man roster with the Royals, he would qualify for salary arbitration for the first time.

Just four days after electing free agency on May 6th, he signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee. In 298 total minor league plate appearances between the two organizations, he has a strong .901 OPS, although that only comes out to a 100 OPS+ at that level due to the strong bent towards hitters at the Triple-A level.

With his playoff experience, LeMahieu would be a better bet to make the postseason roster, but his deal did not include any guarantees. Surprisingly, he went nearly three weeks until the Royals signed him, being one of the few playoff contenders willing to sign him per Jon Morosi.

His signing brings back memories from just last season when the Royals signed 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel to a minors deal, making the active roster just prior to September 1st for the playoff run.

8/15 -- Seven Royals farmhands to participate in AFL: Arizona Fall League rosters were announced on Wednesday, as the Royals will be sending seven of their minor leaguers to Arizona in late October to play in the Arizona Fall Laague.

Spoiler

The headliner is catcher Carter Jensen, who also participated in the AFL last season. Others that are going are pitchers AJ Causey, Hunter Owen, Luinder Avila, Oscar Rayo, and Shane Panzini; along with infielder Javier Vaz. The Pirates, who are one of the other four teams affiliated with the Surprise Saguaros this season, have ten players on the roster. Red Sox 5, Twins 4 Rangers 4

Boston was next with five players, while the Twins and Rangers each placed four. While the Royals didn't place any Top 100 prospects on the roster, the Pirates' Termarr Johnson (#48), Texas' Sebastian Walcott (#11), and Minnesota's Walker Jenkins (#3) highlight the top prospects.

The Royals' top two prospects in catcher Blake Mitchell (#4 overall) and Jac Caglianone (#33 overall) were not eligible as they did not meet the criteria for selection. Mitchell has not played in enough games this season, and Caglianone is currently on an MLB roster with a high likelihood of remaining there through season's end.

8/16 -- Lugo, Royals blank the Sox: On a season-high 110 pitches, Seth Lugo bamboozled the White Sox lineup with just six hits allowed over 8 1/3 innings, striking out eight in a 4-0 victory over Chicago.

Spoiler

With the victory, he's the first Royals pitcher to reach the double-digit win mark. Matt Quatraro sent Lugo out for the ninth with every intention of having him finish out the shutout, but after a single and a fielder's choice, decided to make the change with one out.

"I thought with the single, if he could get the groundball for a double play, I'll leave him in to try and get that final out," he said. "But once (Corey) Julks beat out the relay throw, it was a bridge too far. I had Hunter (Harvey) up and ready to go, and it was an easier decision after that play. Plus, the standing ovation and curtain call he received were fun to watch."

Again, the offense has still not picked up the pace appreciably since the trade deadline, but they're starting to string together more hits in key spots. They batted around in the seventh inning, scoring three times and sending ten men to the plate.

Leadoff hitter Mike Yastrzemski led the Royals with three hits, going 3-for-5 with a double. Since coming over from the Giants, he has been hitting at a blistering pace, posting a 147 OPS+ in August. Jonathan India also had a couple of hits to help pace the offense, with Maikel Garcia drawing three walks and stealing his 22nd base of the season.

"Would I like to see a little bit more in the early going? Sure, but it was nice to see a crooked number in the late innings to put things away," Quatraro said. "Don't get me wrong, I'll take 1-0, 2-1 wins all day, but getting that insurance was nice to see."

8/17 -- Salvy day-to-day: After leaving the game for a pinch-runner in the eighth inning of Friday's win, Salvador Perez was listed as day-to-day heading into the game on Saturday night with what was termed as lower back tightness.

Spoiler

Perez was able to leg out a stand-up double in that frame, but winced halfway to second base and called for the trainers to come out after reaching safely. He was lifted from the game as a precaution, but is not expected to go on the injured list.

"Could that change, sure," said manager Matt Quatraro, "But Salvy and the trainers have gotten together, and we're going to try to keep him as fresh as possible, so we're going to lean on Luke (Maile) quite a bit to handle the catching duties full-time over the next handful of games."

With Freddy Fermin out of the picture, the Royals don't have another catcher on the 40-man roster with MLB experience. That would likely fall to either Carter Jensen or Luca Tresh, although the Royals could use MJ Melendez on an emergency basis if Perez can't go, even as a DH.

"It's something that we've batted around a bit as a management team with the front office," Quatraro went on to say. "MJ hasn't caught in a while, but do we also consider maybe going and getting someone? That's not a question I can fully answer, but I know that JJ and his team are looking at different avenues in case Sal can't go."

8/17 -- Falter delivers stirring performance in victory: In just his third start since coming over from the Pirates, Bailey Falter turned in one of his best performances of the season as he allowed just two earned runs over eight innings as the Royals cruised in a 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Spoiler

For the first time since June 10th, the Royals are over .500 as they moved to 62-61 on the season, and within a game-and-a-half of the final wildcard spot. Falter scattered five hits and struck out three without walking a batter before giving way to Taylor Clarke, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

"This is the guy we envisioned getting when we traded for him," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Brian (Sweeney) has past experience with him, so he's very familiar with what he can and can't do, and what he's really good at is inducing weak contact and keeping the ball in the park."

The last part isn't entirely true, as he's allowed one homerun in each of his three starts. But he's managed to limit the damage on these homeruns, as all three have been of the solo variety. However, it is true that he does limit hard contact, as he has a 41% groundball rate and an average exit velo of less than 90 MPH.

Now 4-1 on their current homestand since losing two of three to both the Red Sox and Twins, the Royals will now look to clinching a series win with a victory tomorrow. Ryan Bergert will make his third Royals' start against Jonathan Cannon.

8/18 -- Royals win in extras to claim sweep: Much like a Broadway musical, the Royals came full-circle on Sunday afternoon with Mike Yastrzemski playing the lead role in the opening and closing acts, with some drama in between.

Spoiler

Yaz led off the bottom of the first by hitting Jonathan Cannon's first pitch into the fountains in right-center field to give the Royals a 1-0 lead right from the jump. He also was responsible for the game's final run, a sac fly nearly four-and-a-half hours later in the bottom of the 12th inning to break a 10-10 tie, giving the Royals an 11-10 win to sweep the series.

The game looked in hand rather early, as a seven-run fifth inning put the Royals up 9-5 a little over halfway through the game. They ended up adding another run to double up their lead, but the White Sox battled back against Daniel Lynch IV with five runs in the seventh inning to tie the game, including a three-run bomb from Kyle Teel. It would remain that way through the next four innings, culminating in the Yastrzemski sac fly that brought Tyler Tolbert home.

"I give credit to the guys for keeping up the fight even when we surrendered the big lead," Quatraro noted. "After they tied it up, they put up zeroes for the next five innings. That's just huge on so many levels, and going into a pretty big series against the Rangers this week, having that positive momentum is huge for us."

However, the Royals had to overcome some mis-steps, both by players and by managerial decisions, to win the game. Quatraro pinch-hit Randal Grichuk for center fielder Kyle Isbel against lefty Tyler Alexander, which seems fine on the surface, but Isbel was 2-for-3 in the game and was swinging the bat well. Grichuk popped out on the first pitch of the at-bat.

That move forced the Royals into a worse defensive alignment by putting Yastrzemski in center; where he has a decent amount of experience, but is still a major drop-off from Isbel in defensive prowess. He also pinch-hit Adam Frazier in the ninth for Jonathan India only to try and bunt Michael Massey, who pinch-ran for Jac Caglianone, over to second. After a pair of bunts went foul, he flew out to center.

"Adam's very good with the bat, bunts well, and we wanted to play the match-up in that case and the Grichuk at-bat earlier," he said. "Grich has had some big pinch-hit appearances for us, but it just didn't work out at the time."

In the bottom of the 10th, Tolbert was on second as the ghost runner, and was thrown out at home by Luis Robert Jr on a great throw for the second out of the inning. It was a sharply-hit ground ball with the outfield shallow for a potential play at the plate, and Robert made the Royals pay for what turned out to be a pretty poor baserunning decision.

That said, the Royals' bullpen came through in a big way, with Carlos Estevez in particular standing out -- he went two innings, striking out four while allowing just one actual baserunner (not counting the ghost runner in the two innings he pitched) on a walk. Hunter Harvey, Angel Zerpa, and the eventual winning pitcher, Lucas Erceg, also helped combine with Estevez for 5 2/3 scoreless frames of relief. Ryan Bergert got the start, and scuffled through five innings, with five earned runs and five strikeouts.

[artoodeetoo]

MLB NEWS WIRE
Red Sox extend Anthony; Scherzer, Walker out for season

By MLB.com staff
08/18/2025

8/14 -- : After several opinions, Toronto righty Max Scherzer was placed on the 60-day injured list with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Spoiler

It's difficult to imagine at 41 years old that he'll try to pitch again in 2026 after a catastrophic injury like this, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic spoke directly with Scherzer upon the news breaking, and the veteran righty told him that he plans on pitching next season after surgery and rehab.

In what will be almost-assuredly a first-ballot HOF career no matter when he steps away, Scherzer has the second-most wins by an active pitcher (only Justin Verlander has more). MLB Network's Jim Bowden noted that there would be a market for Scherzer in the offseason, should he decide to return for 2026.

"It's a bad injury regardless because he's over forty," Bowden said, "But it's not Tommy John, at least. His experience and his still-elite command will be his calling cards in free agency, should he decide to come back next year. That's still valuable to lots of teams, even with the velocity not as dominant as it once was."

Fresh off a rehab appearance, Shane Bieber will step into Scherzer's spot in the rotation after being acquired by the Blue Jays from Cleveland prior to the deadline a few weeks ago. In three starts with Buffalo, covering sixteen innings, he allowed twenty-three hits, fanned nineteen with just four walks, showing the solid command that he's known for.

8/15 -- Anthony extension with Red Sox finalized; terms disclosed: A few days ago, the Red Sox announced they had extended young outfielder Roman Anthony to an eight-year extension, but the terms have been finalized and released to the public.

Spoiler

In addition to the guaranteed $130 million over eight years, there is a $5 million signing bonus, as well as a team option for a ninth season valued at $34 million, and the opportunity to earn as much as $230 million over the life of the deal if all prerequisites are met.

A few of those include up to $2 million for winning the MVP, and also a $1 million bonus for a first or second-place Rookie of the Year finish this season. Those MVP bonuses also include lesser bonuses for top-ten finishes, and $1 million escalators kick in for base salaries if those benchmarks are met. He also could earn an extra $200,000 per season if he is named to the All-Star team.

"I couldn't think of a better city to play in [for] the next eight to nine years of my life,” Anthony said. “And I'm super excited. I want to thank all the fans who show up every day and continue to support us regardless of the outcome. It's really just a special place to play and a special place to show up every single day. I couldn't be more excited for this and couldn't be more thankful for everyone in this room and everyone who's helped me get here today.”

Anthony was barely two months into his debut season before getting signed to the extension, although he's not the quickest Red Sox prospect to get signed to a long-term extension. Both Ceddanne Rafaela (nine days) and Kristian Campbell (six days) signed their deals sooner than their newest teammate, and there's also speculation that the Red Sox are interested in inking Marcelo Mayer to a long-term deal as well.

8/16 -- Phillies' Walker out for season; Nola activated: Despite losing veteran righty Taijuan Walker to a hamstring injury for the season, they'll get Aaron Nola back from his rehab assignment tonight for his first start since May.

Spoiler

On May 13th, Nola was tagged for nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-7 home loss to the Cardinals, and was placed on the injured list a few days later with an ankle injury. After several setbacks, he finally made his first rehab start on August 11th, and was solid with two earned runs in five innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

He has just one win in nine starts with Philly this season, going 1-7 with a 6.16 ERA. Despite that ghastly ERA, he has peripheral marks that are lower than that figure with an FIP of 5.33 and much-lower SIERA of 3.47.

Walker was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Phillies, but could be moved to the 60-day list later in the season if needed to add additional depth to the 40-man roster. He's had a solid year in his age-32 season with a 3-6 mark and 3.81 ERA, but has similar peripherals to Nola except his SIERA is nearly a full run higher than Nola's.

8/17 -- Nola bombarded in first start back: Making his first start since May 13th against the Cardinals, Aaron Nola was touched for six earned runs in four innings as the Nationals pounded the Phillies 10-3.

Spoiler

Losers of five of their last seven, the Phillies have gone from up by two games since the beginning of August to down two to the Mets. Nola replaced Taijuan Walker on the roster, as he was placed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring injury that turned out to be a severe strain.

They're also down an outfielder, as Max Kepler was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning after suffering a fractured thumb off a pitch from Nats hurler Cade Cavalli. Trea Turner was also pulled from the game after getting hit on his left foot by a Cavalli pitch, but is listed as day-to-day by manager Rob Thomson.

Johan Rojas was called up in place of Kepler, who is expected to be out the rest of the season, but could return in time for the postseason. Newcomer Harrison Bader, who has played a reserve role to this point, is expected to play a much bigger role going forward.

[artoodeetoo]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals, Rangers split series; LeMahieu added to active roster

By artoodeetoo
08/22/2025

8/18 -- BWJ activated; Harvey to injured list: Kansas City made a couple of roster moves ahead of their series opener with the Rangers, as Bobby Witt Jr (finger) was activated off the injured list, but reportedly is still not completely back to 100%. Michael Massey was optioned to Omaha to make room.

Spoiler

Michael Lorenzen was also activated off the injured list, but they'll see Hunter Harvey head back to the IL for the third time since joining the Royals last year at the deadline. He'll be out for the next three-to-four weeks with what was termed as an adductor strain, but is not expected to miss the rest of the season. Lorenzen is expected to face his old club on Wednesday night in his first start back from injury.

Witt was hit by a pitch on his non-throwing hand on August 9th, and was day-to-day until being placed on the IL on August 11th. He's been in the dugout with the team in uniform despite not being active, but revealed after yesterday's win that the finger is not 100% healed.

"The time on the IL was to make sure that it was set properly, but that after that it was up to me if I wanted to keep playing once I came off the list," he said. "Of course, I was ready to get back on the field, so I'm excited to get back out there even if there's a risk if it gets hit that it could break again."

With his playoff experience, LeMahieu would be a better bet to make the postseason roster, but his deal did not include any guarantees. Surprisingly, he went nearly three weeks until the Royals signed him, being one of the few playoff contenders willing to sign him per Jon Morosi.

His signing brings back memories from just last season when the Royals signed 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel to a minors deal, making the active roster just prior to September 1st for the playoff run.

8/19 -- Pasquatch powers Royals win: Vinnie Pasquantino nearly single-handedly powered the Royals' 3-1 win over the Rangers, hitting his 20th homerun to not only push him ahead of Salvador Perez for the team lead, but set a new career-high.

Spoiler

Pasquatch was 2-for-4 with two RBI, but singles from Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel were the only other hits from the offense. Perez drove in his 70th RBI with a sac fly in the first inning, part of a two-run first inning that ended up being enough to coast to the win, thanks to a strong effort from the pitching staff.

Michael Wacha pitched the first six innings, allowing just three hits, one earned run, and two walks with three strikeouts to pick up his sixth win of the season. Four relievers got through the next three innings, with Lucas Erceg giving Carlos Estevez the night off after yesterday's two-inning effort in the extra-inning triumph over Chicago.

"We did have Carlos ready to go for a few batters if needed to try and get the save if Lucas couldn't finish it off, but he was brilliant in closing it out," manager Matt Quatraro said. "Carlos has gone multiple innings before, but we try to give him a day off after that if we can manage it."

8/20 -- Royals drop slugfest to the Rangers: It was a rare poor outing for Noah Cameron, as the rookie lefty suffered through a brief outing, lasting just sixty-eight pitches through five innings before getting replaced.

Spoiler

He was charged with five earned runs (six total), and struck out just three as the Rangers hit a trio of two-run homeruns on their way to handing the Royals an 8-5 defeat. Jac Caglianone also homered, but it wasn't enough to counteract the Rangers' salvo.

"It was one of those days where you feel really good going in, but the other side just has your number a little bit," he said after the game. "I know there have been days where I go in and feel like crap, and it ends up being a good outing. Baseball is a funny game like that sometimes."

Wyatt Langford homered in the first against Cameron with a man on (helped by an error), and Joc Pederson would later homer off Cameron in the fifth as part of their four-run inning to go up 6-nil. Kansas City nearly battled all the way back in the bottom of the fifth, coming back to within one, but were held in check the rest of the way.

Texas tacked on two more in the sixth, with Marcus Semien hitting a two-run homerun for some additional insurance. Mike Yastrzemski reached third base with two outs in the sixth, but that's the farthest any Royal baserunner would reach the rest of the game.

8/21 -- Royals win in walk-off fashion: Helped by one of the best defensive plays from a pitcher in recent memory by Sam Long in the top of the 10th, the Royals were spurred on to take the victory with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning to escape with a 5-4 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night.

Spoiler

With Josh Smith on third base and one out, Texas tried to surprise the Royals with a squeeze play, but Long dove off the mound to catch a popped-up bunt attempt from Marcus Semien. Smith, who was steamrolling towards home, had to put on the brakes and try to get back to third, but Long fired a dart from the ground in a seated position to Maikel Garcia to turn the double play.

"One of the biggest plays of the year, I think we'll look back on that as," manager Matt Quatraro, clearly still pumped from the walk-off win. "I was just hoping he'd make the out at home, but it was an extremely heads-up play on his part to have the wherewithal to fire back to third. There was a bit of luck involved as Sam's momentum kind of carried him towards the ball, but it was still a great play regardless."

The Royals had an advantage with Bobby Witt Jr starting as the ghost runner in the bottom of the inning, and Vinnie Pasquantino put him within 90 feet of winning the game on a sharp single to left. Garcia, who made the final putout of the previous inning, came up next and smacked a long fly ball that missed leaving the yard by about five feet and was caught out in center, but it was plenty long enough to get Witt home and put the Royals back to within a half-game of the final wildcard spot.

"The fans, they're coming out and really giving us a lift in these situations," Witt said afterwards. "It was deafening going down the line; I couldn't even really hear the guys at the plate until I was almost there."

8/22 -- Bullpen implodes late as Rangers salvage final game: Down 6-2 in the sixth, the Royals would score twice in each of the next two innings to tie the score, but Texas tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth and managed to hold the Royals off to secure a split, handing the Royals an 8-6 loss.

Spoiler

Kyle Isbel, who hit a two-run homerun in the fourth, singled home a run as part of back-to-back RBI singles from he and Luke Maile in the sixth inning. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 21st homerun in the seventh inning, a two-run shot to tie the game at six.

"It was for certain a playoff-type atmosphere, with the stands nearly full and both of the teams in the thick of the race," said manager Matt Quatraro. "We're disappointed we couldn't get the final game, but there's still a lot of baseball yet to be decided."

In fact, the Rangers only had a plus-2 run differential in the four games.

Despite his brilliance this season, Seth Lugo labored through a rare tough start, allowing a season-high six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, which is his shortest outing since going just 3 1/3 against Detroit all the way back on May 11th. He struck out seven, but threw over 100 pitches and struggled with the top of the Rangers' lineup, namely leadoff hitter Evan Carter.

"He's a fantastic young player," Lugo said of the Rangers' young outfielder. "I knew I'd be in for it against him when he took me for ten pitches in the first at-bat and then went yard, and it didn't get much better after that."

Carter reached base four times, falling a triple short of the cycle. He also drew a walk, stole a base, and scored three of their eight runs. Joc Pederson, who has struggled much of 2025, had the key blow in the game; a bases-clearing double that eventually put Lugo out of the game with two gone in the fifth.

"The game potentially looks much different if he gets Pederson there," said Quatraro. "He had him down on two strikes, but left a pitch out there with too much of the plate; and don't let his average fool you, he can still hit the ball pretty well."

Kansas City now enters a stretch where they'll play a bit tougher of a schedule, with six games against Detroit (three of those on the road), four at Cleveland, and three each against the Angels and Phillies. They'll play the Phillies on the road, while they will get the Angels at home.

8/22 -- LeMahieu contract purchased; promoted to active roster: It's now official -- the Royals have selected DJ LeMahieu's contract from Triple-A Omaha, and will report to the Royals on the road, where they'll begin a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers tonight.

Spoiler

In eight games with the Storm Chasers, DJL slashed .303/.429/.364 in forty-two plate appearances, drawing eight walks and driving in three runs with a pair of doubles, playing mainly second and third base, along with one DH appearance.

Tyler Tolbert was optioned to Omaha to make room on the active roster, but with two open spots on the 40-man roster, no corresponding move had to be made to accomodate LeMahieu there.

In addition, Luke Maile's time with the Royals could be coming to a close potentially, as the Royals have signed veteran catcher Ali Sanchez to a minor league deal and will report to Triple-A.

Maile is in the middle of his second stint with the Royals this season and has been a steadying presence, but has had an extended run behind the dish with the Royals due to a minor back injury to primary catcher Salvador Perez that has relegated him to DH duty in the past week.

Sanchez is a defensive-first catcher that would give the Royals a Freddy Fermin-like option behind the plate, although Fermin became at least a league-average hitter (or close to) by the time he was traded away. Sanchez has played for four other MLB teams since 2020, and has posted a remarkably-bad .409 OPS (15 OPS+) in 120 career MLB plate appearances between those four teams. He does have a much better Triple-A profile, but is still a slightly below-average Triple-A hitter over his career.

[artoodeetoo]

MLB NEWS WIRE
Royals to welcome BWJ back; Cubs nearly swept in five-game series with Brewers

By MLB.com staff
08/22/2025

8/18 -- Cubs make big move in Power Rankings: Needing to make up some ground against the red-hot Brewers, the Cubs needed a good week last week and they did just that, sweeping the Blue Jays on the road and taking two of three from the Pirates at home, pulling to within four games in the division.

Spoiler

They'll continue their homestand tonight with a rarity in baseball -- a five-game series with the aforementioned Brewers; although Monday is a twin-bill with them as they are making up a game from June 19th that was postponed due to rain.

However, the Brewers are on a historic run since July 1st, as they've gone 29-10 since then, which is nearly at a 75% winning clip. They had an 11-game win streak draped around the All-Star break, and have gotten off to a 12-3 start in August.

The Cubs' 5-1 week (Mon.-Sun.) was the best week they've had since June 30th through July 6th, when they were also 5-1. Milwaukee also went 5-1 last week, erasing any potential gains from their best week in quite some time.

"All we can do is just focus on 1-0 every game," said Cubs manager Craig Counsell, going up against his former team this week. "Milwaukee's playing the best baseball of just about anyone out there, so it's a pretty tough task already."

Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to sit atop the rankings as they've done for the past few weeks, with the Tigers, Cubs, and Red Sox rounding out the top five. Other big movers were the Royals (9th), Padres (14th), and Rays (15th) moving into the top-half of the league.

Philadelphia and Toronto were a few of the biggest fallers in the rankings, dropping to 8th and 17th, respectively. Seattle has also slipped precipitously, falling to 18th as they've lost their grip on the final AL Wildcard spot for now.

8/18 -- Royals to activate Bobby Witt Jr: The Royals are activating All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr off the 10-day injured list just prior to their series with the Rangers that begins tonight. To make room on the roster, the Royals optioned fellow infielder Michael Massey to Triple-A Omaha.

Spoiler

Witt, who has been in uniform in the dugout despite being on the injured list and ineligible to play, has been taking BP and infield practice in pre-game warmups for the past few days; and while he mentioned he's not 100%, that the broken finger he suffered last week has "generally healed", and he's at the point where he is less likely to re-incur injury.

"He was cleared to return by the team doctors and training staff to resume some basic baseball activities a few days ago," said Royals manager Matt Quatraro after yesterday's extra-inning win over the White Sox. "We're excited to get him back in the lineup and helping us win games."

While not having quite the strong season he did in 2024 in finishing second in the AL MVP race to Aaron Judge, Witt is still amongst the leaders amongst AL shortstops in OPS (.829), steals (27), OPS+ (125), and RBI (60).

8/19 -- Brewers lose key member of bullpen: Milwaukee's pitching staff has managed to avoid serious injuries for the most part, but they'll be without one of their key contributors for the remainder of the season potentially.

Spoiler

Right-hander Grant Anderson, who has been a steadying force in the middle relief corps for Pat Murphy's Brewers, could miss up to six weeks with an elbow strain, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He worked in the second half of their doubleheader with the Cubs on Monday, working 2 1/3 innings of relief as the Brewers took both games of the twinbill.

"We were given a four-to-six week timeline on the recovery," Murphy noted after their doubleheader triumph. "We don't think it's serious enough for surgery, but elbows can be tricky, so it's something that we're going to monitor pretty closely with our training staff."

The Brewers did some re-shuffling of their pitching staff, optioning Logan Henderson and DL Hall to Triple-A, along with infielder/catcher Anthony Seigler. They re-called pitchers Chad Patrick, Rob Zastryzny, and Joel Payamps to bring the pitching staff back to thirteen players, after running at a dozen for several weeks.

Milwaukee also is expected to activate Jacob Misiorowski from the injured list in the coming days, as he'll make his first start since August 3rd on Thursday against the Cubs.

8/21 -- Royals to purchase DJ LeMahieu's contract: After a brief stint with their Triple-A affiliate, the Royals are set to add DJ LeMahieu to their active roster as early as Friday morning as they have officially purchased his contract from Triple-A Omaha.

Spoiler

In eight games with the Storm Chasers, DJL slashed .303/.429/.364 in forty-two plate appearances, drawing eight walks and driving in three runs with a pair of doubles, playing mainly second and third base, along with one DH appearance.

No corresponding move has been made, but it's widely expected that the Royals will option utility man Tyler Tolbert to the minors. LeMahieu sat unsigned for nearly three weeks before the Royals signed him, along with former Red Sox and White Sox third baseman Bobby Dalbec to minor league deals roughly ten to eleven days ago.

In 142 plate appearances with the Yankees earlier this season, LeMahieu posted a .674 OPS (92 OPS+) with just three doubles and two homeruns out of his thirty-four total hits. Even with the lack of power, LeMahieu will bring postseason experience to the roster, much like Yuli Gurriel last season.

8/22 -- Cubs snap Brewers' win streak: On Thursday, the Cubs narrowly avoided becoming the first team since 2006 to get swept in a five-game regular season series, when the Red Sox were swept at home from August 18th through the 21st, which included a twinbill on Monday that they lost both ends of.

Spoiler

Tied at one heading to the bottom of the 10th, Justin Turner led off with a single, but Moises Ballesteros was thrown out at home to erase the 'ghost' runner. However, Pete Crow-Armstrong would come through with a two-out walk-off single to score Turner from third for the victory.

The similarities between the two series is striking -- aside from the Cubs avoiding the sweep, they both ran from August 18th through the 21st, and both had a double-header on the 18th of the same month nearly twenty years apart. For reference, current reigning MVP Aaron Judge was just fourteen years old at the time, and Derek Jeter was in the midst of one of his best seasons ever, finishing second in the MVP voting and winning his second Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

"We just didn't get it done in this series," said a disappointed-looking Craig Counsell after the win. "I'm glad that we won the game, but we missed out on a golden opportunity to make this division race a bit tighter."

Despite the rough series, the Cubs still are far away the biggest wildcard favorite, as they're two games ahead of the Phillies for the top wildcard spot, and six games up from the final wildcard position. Still, it's difficult to imagine being a a Cubs fan at this point, and not coming away massively disappointed over the results from this week.