Blanco went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners.
Blanco was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts in the game. The outfielder began the year in a bench role, but he's hit his way into starting four of the last five games with time at all three outfield positions. He's gone 7-for-17 (.412) since May 6. Blanco doesn't have much of a track record in a starting role, but he's slashed .293/.356/.439 with a home run, two RBI, 14 runs scored and 11 steals through 45 plate appearances this season as a speed-and-defense option. Blanco's increased playing time has primarily come at the expense of MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Brady Singer: Falls to Mariners
Rotowire
Singer (3-2) took the loss against Seattle on Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings.
Singer came into Monday having allowed exactly one run in three straight starts, but he couldn't keep that momentum going. The right-hander yielded four runs across the second and third frames, marking just the second time this season he's given up that many runs over an entire game. Singer still has a strong 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through nine starts on the campaign, and he's tossed at least five frames in each of his outings thus far.
Garcia went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
Garcia has hit safely in eight of 11 games in May, going 12-for-47 (.255) with four doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. His steal Sunday was his first of the month and his ninth of the season, and he's yet to be caught stealing. The third baseman is slashing .238/.290/.375 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 20 runs scored over 184 plate appearances. While Garcia hasn't profiled as an ideal leadoff hitter, he's done enough to keep that spot through the first quarter of the campaign in a fairly strong lineup.
... See More... See Less
Royals' James McArthur: Allows run in ninth save
Rotowire
McArthur allowed a run on one hit and did not walk or strike out a batter over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
McArthur was tagged for a solo home run by Willie Calhoun in the ninth inning, but the Royals' lead was never in real danger. Over 4.2 innings in May, McArthur has yielded six runs (five earned), with three of the eight hits he's allowed in that span leaving the yard. He's 9-for-12 in save opportunities while adding a hold, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 18.1 innings this season. The right-hander's shaky pitching of late hasn't cost him the closer job, but John Schreiber has been an excellent setup man and could take over if McArthur doesn't start locking things down.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Seth Lugo: Dominant in win
Rotowire
Lugo (6-1) allowed one run on five hits while striking out 12 and walking none over eight innings to earn the win over the Angels on Sunday.
Quality of opponent aside, Lugo was excellent Sunday. He landed 77 of his 112 pitches for strikes and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season. It was also his first start without issuing a walk. The right-hander is now at a 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB through 59.2 innings over nine starts. Lugo's had good moments both as a starter and a reliever in his career, but his start to 2024 is a completely new level for the 34-year-old. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics.
Isbel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Isbel will cede center field to Garrett Hampson while the Angels bring southpaw Patrick Sandoval to the hill for the series finale.
... See More... See Less
Royals' MJ Melendez: Resting against lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The Royals will stock up some extra right-handed bats to counter Angels southpaw Patrick Sandoval, so the lefty-hitting Melendez will head to the bench for the series finale. Dairon Blanco will replace Melendez in left field.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Adam Frazier: Not starting in series finale
Rotowire
Frazier is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Frazier will sit for a second straight game with the Angels sending out southpaw Patrick Sandoval for Sunday's series finale. Michael Massey will start at second base while Nelson Velazquez serves as the Royals' designated hitter Sunday. Frazier is slashing .188/.309/.250 with one home run and eight RBI over 94 plate appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Sitting against southpaw
Rotowire
Pasquantino is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Angels.
With the Angels sending southpaw Patrick Sandoval to the mound Sunday, the lefty-hitting Pasquantino will get the series finale off. Pasquantino has gone 13-for-36 with one home run and 11 RBI since May 1, and he is up to a .248/.329/.445 slash line over 161 plate appearances this season. Salvador Perez will start at first base Sunday in Pasquantino's stead.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Bobby Witt: Two hits, two stolen bases in loss
Rotowire
Witt went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases in Saturday's loss to the Angels.
Witt scored Kansas City's first run of the game after reaching on an infield single and stealing second, coming home on a double from Salvador Perez. The star shortstop would later drive in a run with another single in the sixth before stealing his second base of the contest, though he was then thrown out trying to steal third. Witt has now recorded multiple hits in five of 10 games this month. He's batting .314 over that stretch with four RBI, 12 runs and six stolen bases.
... See More... See Less
Royals' Cole Ragans: Surrenders seven runs in loss
Rotowire
Ragans (2-3) took the loss against the Angels on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and one walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out three.
Ragans first ran into trouble in the top of the second after surrendering a leadoff triple to Kevin Pillar to open the frame, which would eventually lead to three runs coming home for Los Angeles. The lefty would also surrender runs in the third and seventh innings, with the final two of those runs coming across after he was relieved by Nick Anderson. Ragans had given up two runs or fewer in each of his last three starts coming in, but ended up matching his season high with seven runs allowed in Saturday's loss. On a positive note, he's now managed to go at least six innings in three consecutive outings, posting a 20:6 K:BB over that stretch.
Massey is not in Saturday's lineup against the Angels.
He'll sit against lefty Tyler Anderson, with Garrett Hampson getting the nod at the keystone. Massey is hitting .273 with two home runs and two doubles in nine games this month.
Melendez went 3-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 2-1 win over the Angels.
Melendez hasn't been able to string good performances together, but he's 7-for-24 (.292) over eight games in May. The outfielder was able to get aboard in the ninth inning before Garrett Hampson entered as a pinch runner and scored on Adam Frazier's home run. Melendez is up to a .202/.260/.395 slash line with four homers, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and two stolen bases through 123 plate appearances. He continues to be a drag in batting average, but he's got intriguing power upside in formats where he's still catcher-eligible after playing 10 games behind the plate in 2023.
