The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

[artoodeetoo]

Royals News (03/16)

Eleven assigned to minors in first round of cuts
Top prospects Mitchell, Burns amongst first minor league assignments

By artoodeetoo
03/16/2024

The Royals trimmed their spring roster from seventy-five to sixty-four in their first round of minor league assignments, as eleven players were assigned to various minor league camps.

Among the cuts were catcher Blake Mitchell and pitcher Chase Burns, the team's top two picks from the last two drafts. Both will be assigned to Single-A Columbia.

Other notables were infielder Austin Charles, lefty Frank Mozzicato, and righty Steven Zobac; who has been one of the more impressive younger pitchers in camp. Mozzicato made just four appearances, working 3 1/3 innings with two walks and strikeouts each, with two hits allowed (both singles).

The Royals also have high hopes for Charles, a lanky six-foot-six third baseman who battled injuries a season ago in Single-A, but has tons of raw power and one of the best throwing arms in the system.

After a .761 OPS a season ago in Single-A, he was assigned to High-A Quad Cities to begin the 2025 campaign. Mozzicato and Zobac will begin the year in Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Other cuts were infielders Lizandro Rodriguez, Trevor Werner, and Daniel Vazquez; catchers Omar Hernandez and Kale Emshoff, and pitcher Beck Way. Rodriguez and Vazquez will report to High-A Quad Cities, while the others with the exception of Emshoff are being assigned to Double-A.

[artoodeetoo]

Spring Training Report (03/23)

Spring Training Report
Royals cap off the spring with a fifth-place Cactus League finish

By artoodeetoo
03/23/2025

March 16th: Royals 3, Rockies 3
Royals Notables: Kendall Graveman (IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K); Alec Marsh (4 IP, H, BB, 3 K; Ben Kudrna (1.1 IP, H, BB, 3 K)

March 17th: D-Backs 4, Royals 5
Royals Notables: Carson Roccaforte (1-2, HR-1, 4 RBI); Michael Massey (1-2, 2B, RBI); Daniel Lynch (3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (2 ER))

March 19th: Giants 5, Royals 4
Royals Notables: Eric Cerantola (2.1 IP, 4 K); Carter Jensen (0-2, 2 K); CJ Alexander (1-1, HR-1, 2 RBI)

March 20th: Royals 7, Reds 2
Royals Notables: Max Stassi (1-2, HR-1); Maikel Garcia (1-2, SB-2); Kris Bubic (3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K); Tyler Tolbert (1-2, HR-1)

March 21st: Mariners 4, Royals 2 (SS)
Royals Notables: Luis Robert Jr (1-2, HR-4); Cole Ragans (4 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K); Alec Marsh (IP, 2 K)

March 21st: Royals 6, Athletics 6 (SS)
Royals Notables: Hunter Renfroe (2-5, HR-1, 3 RBI); Javier Vaz (2-5, 2B, SB, R); Brady Singer (3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K)

March 22nd: Royals 3, Rangers 4
Royals Notables: Michel Baez (2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K); Kyle Isbel (1-3, 2B), Josh Lester (1-2, 2B, RBI, R)

[artoodeetoo]

Royals News (03/24)

Royals Finalize Opening Day, 40-Man Rosters
Jensen, Devanney optioned to Triple-A

By artoodeetoo
03/24/2025

With thirteen pitchers and thirteen position players, the Royals have finalized both their 40-man and active rosters for Opening Day. The Royals had to make some tough roster decisions to arrive at their numbers, including designating southpaw Sam Long for assignment, and trading infielder and former first-round pick Nick Loftin to the Mets, along with catching prospect Ramon Ramirez, to the Mets for pitching prospect Brandon Sproat.

Sproat, who was in Mets' major league camp up until about eight or nine days ago, had a 5.00 ERA In nine innings of spring work before getting relegated to minor-league camp. Loftin will give the Mets a solid, versatile right-handed infield bat that can also play left and right field.

Enrique Hernandez made the team out of the spring as a non-roster invitee, as the Royals really value his playoff experience and positional versatility as a right-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots, plus second and third base.

Catcher Carter Jensen, outfielder Nelson Velazquez, and infielder Cam Devanney, who were already on the 40-man roster from last season, were optioned to Triple-A. Outfielder John Rave, catcher Max Stassi, infielder Tyler Tolbert, and pitchers Kendall Graveman, Noah Cameron, and Evan Sisk were all added to the 40-man roster and also optioned to Triple-A. Since they were all added prior to Opening Day, the option will not count against their three options they get.

Top prospects Gavin Cross, Cayden Wallace, and Peyton Wilson were also sent to Triple-A Omaha's minor league camp. Those three, along with Jensen and Devanney, are the most likely call-ups in case of injuries to any of the veterans on the active roster.

"We feel strongly enough that if injuries arise, that we have sufficient depth in the minors to fill the gaps," said GM JJ Picollo several days ago in camp. "There are some tougher decisions this season that we've had to make in the past few years, but generally those tougher decisions mean that the talent level is much higher than it has been."

[artoodeetoo]

2025 Royals Season Outlook (03/26)

2024 MLB Season Preview: Kansas City Royals
The foundation has been put in place, but can they capitalize on their success from 2024?

By MLB.com Staff
03/26/2025

2024 Record: 92-70 (2nd, AL Central)
Manager: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)
2025 Payroll: $130 million

Expectations for 2025
Kansas City up-ended the 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks for the greatest one-season turnaround in league history, improving on their 56-win 2023 campaign by winning ninety-two games, a thirty-six win increase that broke that 1999 Arizona squad's turnaround as they won a hundred games in 1999 after winning just sixty-five in 1998. Kansas City's season ended with a thud against eventual AL pennant-winner Cleveland in the ALDS, snapping a streak of four straight playoff appearances with a World Series berth.

After spending north of $100 million in free agency last season, they didn't go quite that far this past offseason, but still added some quality veterans to multi-year deals. Much like last offseason, the Royals were creative with player options and opt-outs, moreso than other teams. They signed Yoan Moncada to man third base; and gave him an opt-out after this season. He's only slated to make $5 million this season, and $8 million per season for 2026 and 2027 if he decides to stay in Kansas City.

They brought back Michael Wacha on a three-year, $36 million deal that also includes an opt-out after this season. He'll stand to earn $28.5 million over the following two seasons if he stays in. They also acquired Luis Robert Jr from their intra-divisional rival Chicago for Nick Pratto, Freddy Fermin, and Rule 5 pick Aeverson Arteaga. They converted his 2026 team option into a guaranteed season worth $20 million, with the White Sox paying roughly half of his remaining salary, which is about $18 million over the next two years.

"We're definitely in win-now mode," said general manager JJ Picollo. "We feel like we have the core group of players that will be here for the long haul, and then a nice group of veterans brought in to really make this thing go on the margins."

Veterans such as Matthew Boyd and Jason Heyward, both brought in cheaply either via trade (Boyd), or free agency (Heyward). Heyward signed a one-year, $3.75 millon deal that could go up to $4 million on escalators. The Royals sent Dairon Blanco to the Giants for Boyd, who at one time was one of the most promising young southpaws in the game with Detroit before injuries and inconsistency derailed his progress.

Stories to watch
Salvador Perez is coming into the season just twenty homeruns shy of 300 for his career, as he'd be the second player in team history to reach that plateau, with the legendary George Brett the other. Additionally, he's thirty-eight homeruns away from breaking Brett's career mark of 317 homeruns.

While it's doubtful he does that in 2025, it's highly likely that he'll do it some time in 2026 provided he stays healthy. This is the last expensive season for Perez, as he'll make $22 million in 2025 before a team option for $13 million kicks in should the Royals go that route for '26.

Do the Royals re-negotiate with Perez at some point this season, and potentially lock him in for the remainder of his career? This is his age-35 season -- it's not unfathomable that the Royals will look to extend, but I think it's going to be an incentive-laden deal if they do so. Father Time has appeared to not catch up as of yet, but the cliff is coming. Even with Fermin gone, they have younger, cheaper options behind the plate in the minors, which is why I think Picollo and the front office made the deal to trade Fermin to bring in Robert to bolster the roster.

His innings at first base have increased each of the last two seasons in anticipation of at least a part-time move in the future. They also can't rely on Vinnie Pasquantino staying healthy for a full season, so it would make sense to keep their powder dry in case of injury.

Something else that will a story in the background is the new stadium fight. I hesitate to call it that because it appears that there is some renewed groundswell for a downtown ballpark, but how it will be financed is still a big issue. The Royals' lease runs out at the K after the 2030 season, which remarkably is just six seasons away. There is still time to get something done, but most stadiums take two-to-three years at minimum to get completed. Will Jackson County remain as the home of the Royals? I think we'll have more clarity in November, when the next question will appear on the ballot.

While I think team success should have little to no bearing on whether or not to build a new stadium, it would certainly not hurt for the Royals to have another successful season heading into that vote.

Final outlook
At this time last season, the hope was that the Royals would improve enough with the veteran additions, and we'd see a team that could at least compete throughout the season even if they fell short of the postseason. The Royals absolutely walloped expectations, earning the largest one-year turnaround in league history (+36!) and reaching the ALDS before falling to the Guardians in that series.

This time around, the team has the look of a contender up front. They went out and signed veteran help with playoff experience in Enrique Hernandez and Jason Heyward. They brought back Michael Wacha. They traded for a bonafide outfield, middle-order bat in Luis Robert Jr. They've upgraded offensively at third base, a weak spot in the order in 2024.

The only area that I think they potentially missed on is the middle relief; but Miguel Castro is a solid addition by himself, and at least lengthens the bullpen in front of newcomer Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey at the back end. If they can get a full, productive season out of Vinnie Pasquantino; and get Seth Lugo back and healthy at mid-season, this is a team that potentially could go all the way.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

2025 MLB SEASON PREDICTIONS
Dodgers predicted to hoist the trophy at season's end

By MLB.com staff
03/26/2025

AL EAST: Toronto, Baltimore, New York, Boston, Tampa Bay
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland, Kansas City, Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago
AL WEST: Texas, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Athletics

NL EAST: Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Washington
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh
NL WEST: Los Angeles, Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco, Colorado

WORLD SERIES: Dodgers over the Blue Jays in six

AL MVP: Aaron Judge, New York
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles

AL CYY: Tarik Skubal, Detroit
NL CYY: Max Fried, Atlanta

AL ROY: Roki Sasaki, Texas
NL ROY: Andrew Painter, Philadelphia

AL REL: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland
NL REL: Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta

AL MGR: Matt Quatraro, Kansas City
NL MGR: Carlos Beltran, Milwaukee

AL GG P: Cole Ragans, Kansas City
AL GG C: Jose Trevino, Cleveland
AL GG 1B: Nick Pratto, Chicago
AL GG 2B: Andres Gimenez, Cleveland
AL GG 3B: Alex Bregman, Houston
AL GG SS: Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City
AL GG LF: Kyle Isbel, Kansas City
AL GG CF: Cedric Mullins, Baltimore
AL GG RF: Aaron Judge, New York

NL GG P: Max Fried, Atlanta
NL GG C: Sean Murphy, Atlanta
NL GG 1B: Christian Walker, Arizona
NL GG 2B: Nico Hoerner, Chicago
NL GG 3B: Ke'Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh
NL GG SS: Elly de la Cruz, Cincinnati
NL GG LF: Brandon Nimmo, New York
NL GG CF: Brenton Doyle, Colorado
NL GG RF: Fernando Tatis, Jr., San Diego

[johnstone1987]

Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

As a Die hard lifelong Mariners Fan, 3rd place finish is pretty generous

[artoodeetoo]

Royals 40-Man Roster (Updated: July 14th, 2025)
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL
24	Michael Lorenzen (IL-15)	RHP	R/R	01/04/92	6'3"	215	CS Fullerton
30	Kyle Wright	RHP	R/R	10/02/95	6'4"	200	Vanderbilt
41	Daniel Lynch IV	LHP	L/L	11/17/96	6'6"	190	Virginia
45	Taylor Clarke (IL-60)	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
47	Evan Sisk*	LHP	L/L	04/23/97	6'2"	210	College of Charleston
48	Alec Marsh*	RHP	R/R	05/14/98	6'2"	220	Arizona State
50	Kris Bubic	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
54	Andrew Hoffmann*	RHP	R/R	02/02/00	6'5"	210	Illinois
55	Cole Ragans	LHP	L/L	12/12/97	6'4"	190	North Florida Christian HS
56	Hunter Harvey	RHP	R/R	12/09/94	6'3"	175	Bandys HS (NC)
57	Angel Perdomo	LHP	L/L	05/07/94	6'6"	200	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	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 (IL-60)	RHP	R/R	11/17/89	6'4"	225	Centenary College (LA)
86	Luinder Avila*	RHP	R/R	08/21/01	6'3"	195	None
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
34	Freddy Fermin	C/1B	R/R	05/16/95	5'10"	195	None
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL
6	Jonathan India (IL-15)	INF	R/R	12/16/96	6'	200	Florida
7	Bobby Witt, Jr.	SS	R/R	06/14/00	6'1	190	Colleyville Heritage HS (TX)
9	Vinnie Pasquantino	1B	L/L	10/10/97	6'4"	245	Old Dominion
11	Maikel Garcia	INF/OF	R/R	03/03/00	6'	180	None
12	Nick Loftin	INF	R/R	09/25/98	6'1"	180	Baylor
14	Jac Caglianone	INF/OF	L/L	02/09/03	6'5"	250	Florida
18	Cavan Biggio*	INF	L/R	04/11/95	6'2"	200	Notre Dame
19	Michael Massey	INF	L/R	03/22/98	6'	190	Illinois
21	Mark Canha	1B/OF	R/R	02/15/89	6'2"	210	California
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SCHOOL
1	MJ Melendez	OF	L/R	11/29/98	6'1"	185	Westminster (FL) School
2	Tyler Tolbert	OF/INF	R/R	01/27/98	6'	160	UAB
8	Drew Waters	OF	S/R	12/30/98	6'	190	Etowah (GA) HS
22	Joey Wiemer*	OF	R/R	02/11/99	6'4"	220	Cincinnati
26	John Rave*	OF	L/L	12/30/97	6'	180	Illinois State
27	Tyler Gentry*	OF	R/R	02/01/99	6'2"	210	Alabama
28	Kyle Isbel	OF	L/R	03/03/97	5'11"	185	UNLV
44	Dairon Blanco*	OF	R/R	04/26/93	6'	170	None

[artoodeetoo]

Reserved 2

[artoodeetoo]

Received 3

[artoodeetoo]

Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

So, I'm going to begin the 2025 season, but going with the updated OOTP 26 and with the Opening Day rosters. Preview up shortly

[artoodeetoo]

2025 Season Preview (03/26/2025)

2025 MLB Season Preview: Kansas City Royals
The foundation has been put in place, but can they capitalize on their success from 2024?

By MLB.com Staff
03/26/2025

2024 Record: 86-76 (2nd, AL Central)
Manager: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)
2025 Payroll: $130 million

Looking back at 2024
The Kansas City Royals’ 2024 season was nothing short of a remarkable turnaround after the team struggled during a challenging 2023 campaign with a 56-106 record. They finished 86–76 and secured their first postseason berth since 2015, finishing 6 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. This 30-game improvement stands as one of the most significant turnarounds in MLB history, eclipsed only by five other teams in MLB history. It was also their first winning record since their World Series-winning season of 2015, when they went 95-67 and won the division.

Key to this resurgence was the stellar performance of the starting rotation. Left-hander Cole Ragans emerged as the team’s ace, posting an 11-9 record with a 3.14 ERA over thirty-two starts. Seth Lugo finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting, marking a Royal's best finish for the award since Zack Greinke won it in 2009.

The rotation managed to stay largely healthy much of last season, as their top three of Lugo, Ragans, and Michael Wacha combined for ninety-four starts between them. It's difficult to rely on a rotation to stay as healthy as they did two years in a row; but the bullpen's improvement on paper, and the addition of newcomer Jonathan India in the top spot in the order should make up for any potential shortfall in the rotation.

Long-time franchise mainstay Salvador Perez is back for his thirteenth full season with Kansas City, and perhaps his final one as this season is his last guaranteed contract year as the Royals have a $13 million team option on him for 2026. Despite a late-season injury, Vinnie Pasquantino also proved himself as one of the top young left-handed bats in the American League, hitting nineteen homeruns and thirty doubles (115 OPS+) in 553 plate appearances.

The dynamic play of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. further energized the lineup, showcasing his offensive prowess and defensive agility in finishing as the runner-up for the AL MVP award to the Yankees' Aaron Judge. Witt also won the AL batting title with a .332 BA, the first Royal to do so since George Brett in 1990.

They didn't make a ton of moves to bring in players from outside the organization; but the ones they did were consequential, working with Cincinnati by swapping college teammates Brady Singer and Jonathan India along with outfielder Joey Wiemer, who is likely to start the 2025 season in Omaha. They also brought on right-hander Carlos Estevez to lengthen the back end of the bullpen alongside Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey, both brought in via trades last July.

Offseason Recap
2025 Key Additions: OF Mark Canha, RHP Carlos Estevez, IF Jonathan India, OF Joey Wiemer
2025 Key Subtractions: RHP Nick Anderson, IF Adam Frazier, IF Garrett Hampson, RHP Brady Singer

2025 Roster
Projected Line-up
2B – Jonathan India
SS - Bobby Witt Jr
1B – Vinnie Pasquantino
CA – Salvador Perez
DH – Michael Massey
RF – Hunter Renfroe
LF – MJ Melendez
3B – Maikel Garcia
CF – Kyle Isbel

Bench
CA - Freddy Fermin
IF - Cavan Biggio
OF - Dairon Blanco
OF - Mark Canha

The addition of India gives the Royals the leadoff hitter that they've lacked for multiple seasons, making the top half of their lineup one that is more competitive with the upper-echelon teams in the league. Sure, the bottom half has some question marks, but Hunter Renfroe and MJ Melendez are threats to go deep in any plate appearance, and veteran utility players in Cavan Biggio and Mark Canha provide some additional punch off the pine. Backup catcher Freddy Fermin could also start for a number of teams around the league, especially with his defensive prowess, but has managed to be a league-average hitter throughout his first two-plus seasons in the league.

Starting Rotation
L Cole Ragans
R Seth Lugo
R Michael Wacha
R Michael Lorenzen
L Kris Bubic

Projected Bullpen
L Daniel Lynch IV
L Sam Long
R Chris Stratton
L Angel Zerpa
R John Schreiber
R Hunter Harvey
R Lucas Erceg
R Carlos Estevez

Brady Singer, who was sent to the Reds in the India deal, will be missed in the rotation; but the top three of Ragans, Lugo, and Wacha all return; and they also brought Michael Lorenzen back, who gave them some outstanding innings in the playoff push. Former first-round pick Kris Bubic will hold down the number-five spot in the rotation after spending all of his time in the bullpen a season ago. The Royals also expect to have Kyle Wright back in mid-June, recovering from shoulder surgery.

Another first-round pick from the same class as Bubic in Daniel Lynch is slated to be the swing arm in the bullpen, making sixteen appearances with three starts in 2024. They went out and traded for Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey at the deadline last year; and both of them return along with newcomer Carlos Estevez, who is likely to draw most of the closing assignments early on. The middle relief should also be a solid strength with Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber playing key productive roles in the bullpen in 2024.

2025 Expectations
The AL Central is a very competitive division with the Guardians, Tigers, and Twins all potential playoff teams out of the division as well as the Royals; although the White Sox are years away from being competitive. The success of this season is going to come down to the pitching. The Royals need better performance and more consistency from the bullpen. Additionally, the starting rotation must stay healthy, especially being minus a key starter from a season ago. Either one of Bubic or Lorenzen, if they can come through and give the Royals a consistent fourth starter, that would be a massive boon to their chances to at least match their success from a season ago.

The offense should be able to keep them in the hunt for a playoff berth. The division should be a close race this season between all four of the aforementioned teams outside of Chicago. If Melendez and third baseman Maikel Garcia can improve offensively, it might be enough. If they cannot, the Royals could very well turn to youngsters like Gavin Cross and/or Jac Caglianone, who both performed above expectations in the spring. They could also be in the hunt for additional bats at the deadline if the offense doesn't perform as expected, or if an internal option doesn't emerge.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

I've been playing ahead, will begin on April 25th. Story coming soon...

[artoodeetoo]

Royals News (04/25)

RAGANS TO MISS FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
Cruz re-called; Lynch to enter rotation

By artoodeetoo
04/25/2025

After a season of good fortune in pitching injuries in 2024, the Royals have hit their first major setback in that regard since 2023 with Cole Ragans going on the 15-day injured list with elbow tendinitis, after leaving his start yesterday against the Rockies after just 3 1/3 scoreless innings. It has been an up-and-down season for Ragans to this point, but his performance up until leaving the contest was his best of the year to date, allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out a pair with no walks in a tidy thirty-nine pitches.

Manager Matt Quatraro was asked in the post-game interview after last night's walk-off victory if Ragans had been silently dealing with elbow discomfort which may explain his inconsistent performance, but noted that he did not indicate any pre-existing discomfort prior to being pulled from the game last night.

Ragans' velocity has been down from 2024, posting an average of 94.7 MPH in 2025 versus 95.4 from last season. It's not a huge drop, but he's been getting hit a bit harder in terms of EV and has lost about 10% of its rise in that same time frame. He's also thrown his four-seamer well over more than 50% of the time so far (54%), after barely below 50% last season. He's dropped off throwing his change-up a bit more.

"I think at times he's been trying to establish the fastball a bit too much, but this time out was the best he's looked in mixing in more of his stuff early on in games," Quatraro went on to say. "We won't know the extent of the damage until tomorrow, but right now we're not terribly confident that he'll avoid the injured list at this point. It's a shame, because he looked to be turning a corner in this start."

Right-hander Steven Cruz was re-called to take his spot on the roster, and Quatraro also mentioned that Daniel Lynch IV would slide into Ragans' spot in the rotation for the time being. Cruz would add another power arm to a bullpen that has struggled so far this season, with Chris Stratton, John Schreiber, and Carlos Estevez carrying pretty bloated ERA's heading into tonight's series opener with Houston. Estevez started as the team's closer, but has struggled in recent weeks, leading to Hunter Harvey being elevated to the role.[/I]

[artoodeetoo]

Royals Headlines (04/28)

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS HEADLINES
Lugo joins Ragans on IL; Royals take weekend series with Astros

By artoodeetoo
04/28/2025

4/25 -- Royals top Astros in series opener: A first-inning grand slam from Freddy Fermin put the Royals out in front very early, but another starter made an early exit from the game due to injury in the Royals' 6-2 series-opening win over Houston.

Spoiler

He left with two outs in the fourth inning with an apparent elbow injury, but manager Matt Quatraro didn't have any updates on his condition after the game.

"We're still in the initial phases of finding out what we're dealing with here," said Quatraro. "Certainly, in light of losing Cole (Ragans) it's a bit concerning, but we just have to hope for the best. We should know more definitively what's going on by the end of the series."

Left-hander Evan Sisk, who made his MLB debut against the Rockies on Wednesday, his 28th birthday, pitched the next 1 2/3 innings in relief of Lugo, who had pitched 3 2/3 scoreless with four strikeouts before exiting. John Schreiber and Angel Zerpa combined to finish out the game, with Zerpa going the final two innings in scoreless fashion.

Despite scoring six runs, the Royals collected just five hits in the game, although they also drew four walks in the contest. Kyle Isbel added a solo homerun in the fifth, while MJ Melendez added a pinch-hit solo homerun in the eighth.

4/26 -- K.C.'s streak stopped at four: Kansas City saw their brief four-game winning streak snapped with a 6-5 loss to the Astros. Michael Wacha was smacked around in the early going, getting tagged for three runs on a homerun from Christian Walker in the first, and a two-run shot from Jose Altuve in the second.

Spoiler

The lineup began chipping away at Houston's lead, scoring once in the bottom of the first on a sac fly from Salvador Perez, and then getting two more in the fourth courtesy of RBI hits from Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino to pull the Royals to within three.

"Just dug myself too big of a hole to get out of," Wacha said, begrudgingly. "Just didn't make the pitches where and when I needed to."

Things got even more interesting in the eighth, when Drew Waters and Maikel Garcia cut the Astros' lead from three to one with back-to-back singles against Steven Okert with one out, but Astros skipper Joe Espada brought in fireballer Bryan Abreu to get the final two outs of the inning, getting Isbel on a pop out, and then striking Jonathan India out on three pitches.

4/27 -- Lugo to injured list after elbow procedure: For the second time in a week, a Royals starter has been forced to the injured list for an extended period of time as right-hander Seth Lugo is going to potentially miss the remainder of the season after surgery to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow.

Spoiler

Left-hander Cole Ragans is already expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks after developing tendinitis in his elbow, and now the Royals are down a second starter for a lengthy period of time. Lugo's recovery time is expected to be three-to-four months, but some recoveries from this surgery have been up to six months.

Jonathan Bowlan was re-called from Omaha to take Lugo's spot on the roster, but won't necessarily go into the rotation -- his role has not yet been determined, per manager Matt Quatraro.

"He's been throwing out of the bullpen with some real success in Triple-A, but he has some starting experience up here, so there's some flexibility that we can use going forward," the Royals' skipper said in a morning conference call prior to leaving for Tampa Bay earlier today.

The six-foot-six righty has made a half-dozen appearances out of the bullpen for Omaha so far, totaling 10 2/3 innings. He's made those appearances count, striking out a dozen with just two walks and one earned run on seven hits.

His best outing to date was last Wednesday, going three scoreless innings with just one walk and six strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to Indianapolis at home.

4/27 -- Royals take series with win in extras: Jose Altuve took Kris Bubic's second pitch of the entire game for a solo homerun, but that was the only run that the southpaw would allow over 6 2/3 innings as the Royals eventually won in ten innings by a 2-1 score, claiming

Spoiler

The two teams stalemated all the way through to the bottom of the ninth, when MJ Melendez's RBI single with one out against closer Josh Hader tied the game to send the contest to extras, where the Royals would eventually win it with a two-out single from pinch-hitter Drew Waters.

"This was one of those 'not to be denied' games," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Seems like every thing we did in the late innings seemed to work."

Bubic had one of his best games of the season to date, as in those 6 2/3 innings he fanned eight and walked only two, scattering four hits. Hunter Harvey picked up the victory, pitching a scoreless tenth inning.

John Schrieber, Lucas Erceg, and even starter Michael Lorenzen made relief appearances, with the right-hander going one-third of an inning to get out of the ninth inning with a runner in scoring position.

"With an off-day coming up tomorrow, we have the opportunity to skip Mike's spot in the rotation, so we can use him out of the bullpen in a tight spot," Quatraro mentioned when asked about the usage of Lorenzen in the ninth.

4/28 -- Veteran outfielders activated from rehab assignments: Beginning tomorrow, the Royals will see the return of veteran outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Mark Canha to the major league club, coming off short rehab stints in Omaha.

Spoiler

Both Joey Wiemer and Drew Waters were optioned to Omaha to make room; neither one outside of a walk-off single from Waters making any sort of appreciable impact with the Royals in their brief time with the parent club.

Canha hasn't played since March 31st, suffering a foot fracture after being hit by a wayward Bryan Hudson pitch on his left foot way back in the Milwaukee series.

He initially stayed in the game as a runner, but was replaced by Cavan Biggio at first base the following half-inning. X-rays following the game turned up positive for a broken bone, and was placed on the injured list.

Renfroe has been out for the last few weeks with a forearm strain, but wasn't hitting well at the time of the injury with a woeful .397 (10 OPS+).

Renfroe's return at this point is a bit of a headscratcher as there are several younger, better options in Omaha in Nick Loftin and Tyler Gentry, but the Royals have nearly $7.6 million reasons to continue to put Renfroe in the lineup most every day if he's healthy.

[artoodeetoo]

MLB Headlines (04/28)

MLB NEWS WIRE
Royals' starting rotation in flux; Marlins' Henriquez to miss season

By MLB.com staff
04/28/2025

New power rankings out: Despite going 3-3 over the last week, St. Louis held on to the top spot in ESPN's Power Rankings that were just released this morning.

Spoiler

Aside from the Cardinals staying atop the heap, the rest of the top five is brand new, with Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Kansas City rounding out the top five.

Yankees' Jackson to retire at season's end: He's off to a solid start in his age-37 season, but Yankees reliever Jay Jackson announced that he'll be retiring at the end of the 2025 year, per his Twitter account.

Spoiler

He signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees at the very tail end of the spring, and reported to the team's extended Spring Training complex, where he continued to build up his pitch count instead of reporting to Triple-A.

He was called up on April 16th from the extended Spring Training complex, and made his first appearance on the 19th. In 4 2/3 innings, Jackson has five strikeouts to just one walk, allowing one earned run that covers three total appearances.

Lugo, Ragans to miss significant time: The Royals' chances of returning to the postseason in 2025 took a direct hit this past week, as both of their All-Star starting pitchers from a season ago have landed on the injured list with ailments that will keep them out for multiple weeks, perhaps even months, in the span of a few days.

Spoiler

Left-hander Cole Ragans is expected to miss up to six weeks with what was termed as elbow tendinitis, per a report from Buster Olney of The Athletic. It's been an up-and-down season for the former first-rounder whom the Royals acquired just before the 2023 trade deadline from Texas for veteran Aroldis Chapman.

Ragans also signed a three-year, $13.25 million extension in the offseason that increased his base salary from $740,000 to $1.085 million for this season, and $4.6 million and $7.6 million in the 2026 and 2027 seasons, before arbitration will kick in for the 2028 season.

In the second year of a three-year, $45 million contract, Seth Lugo was placed on the 60-day injured list and could miss the remainder of the season after undergoing a procedure to remove bone chips from his throwing elbow, but that is the absolute worst-case scenario, also reported by Olney.

The usual prognoses for this type of surgery is three-to-four months, followed by a month of rehab work, so it is possible that he could return for the postseason or a late-season playoff push.