Straight Outta Kauffman (OOTP 24)

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WATERS GOES TO INJURED LIST; EATON RE-CALLED

Manager Matt Quatraro seemed cautiously optimistic that outfielder Drew Waters would avoid the injured list, but the Royals announced this morning that they had placed Waters on the 10-day IL with an elbow sprain. "Out of an abundance of caution," a team spokesman was quoted. Nate Eaton was re-called from Omaha to take his spot on the roster.

He left in the first inning of yesterday's 4-2 win over the Rockies with what was termed as an elbow sprain, but Quatraro seemed pretty confident that he'd be able to play through it, at least in a part-time role.

In addition, several weeks ago on May 15th, Waters was pulled early from the game against San Diego with a shoulder problem, but only missed one game and didn't go on the injured list for any period. This time, it appears to be a bit more serious of an issue; enough to keep him out for the next ten days.

Rather than bring up the red-hot Michael Massey, the Royals opted instead for the more versatile Eaton. Eaton struggled to a .100 BA (7-for-70) before getting sent down on May 15th. He's hitting just .195 for the season with Omaha, but had five hits in his last three games, including a homerun.

GET TO KNOW A PROSPECT: ENRIQUE BRADFIELD JR.

Following up last week's feature on Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep, we'll stay in the SEC with Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. Bradfield is a pure centerfielder with speed to burn both in the field and on the basepaths, and profiles as a top-of-the-order hitter with his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills, having more career walks than strikeouts as a collegian.

He also comes from a culture of winning, having been a part of the powerful Vanderbilt program for the past two-plus seasons, playing in all sixty-seven games as a freshman on the 2020-2021 CWS runner-up squad. He was also a starter on last season's NCAA Regional champion team, and is yet again starring in center for a team that appears to be headed back to the postseason.

He'd be an immediate boost to a system that needs another bonafide option in center, as last year's top pick, Gavin Cross, is likely headed for a corner spot in the pros. Diego Hernandez is still developing, and Erick Pena has entered bust territory since signing a bonus north of $3 million more than three years ago. That said, scouts have showed concern that he's already tapped out an already-thin frame; limiting his power potential, and he doesn't have the ideal arm strength you'd like to see in a center fielder.

Still, he's a great candidate to get into the Royals' minor league hitting program, as they found some untapped power potential in players like Massey, Nick Loftin, and more recently Jimmy Govern, who has doubled his previous career high in homeruns already this season.

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Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Miami Marlins

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | June 8th, 2023

Kansas City Royals at Miami Marlins
June 5, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (25-35)	0	1	0	0	5	3	0	0	1	10	15	0
Miami Marlins (27-34)	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	9	1
W: Brad Keller (5-5) L: Sandy Alcantara (3-6) S: Ryan Yarbrough (1)

Monday, June 5th, 2023
With a five-run fifth inning, the Royals surged ahead of Miami in their series opener, going on to win by a 10-4 count to claim their eighth win in their last nine games. Bobby Witt Jr and Kyle Isbel each collected three hits, and Nick Pratto went 2-for-5 with a homerun, his seventh of the season.

Neither starting pitcher was spectacular, but Brad Keller came out on top to pick up his fifth victory of the season, striking out five in six innings, while allowing four earned runs on nine hits. He walked only one. Ryan Yarbrough tossed another outstanding outing of relief, retiring all nine hitters he faced with a couple of strikeouts.

However, there was a scary moment for the Royals on the game's final out -- Yarbrough was struck in the face by a line drive, and crumpled to the ground. The ball glanced off him towards second baseman Garcia, who threw to first for the out, but Yarbrough had to be helped off the field with blood-soaked towels covering his face.

"It sounded and looked way worse in person than it probably did on TV," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Ryan's pretty shaken up by the whole deal, but he'll have the best care possible to get him back to normal. We're not worried right now about when he can get back to the field."

At 25-35, the Royals are now ten games below .500, a spot they haven't been since May 4th. They were last less than ten games below .500 on May 1st.

Of the Royals' fifteen hits, eight starters each collected at least one hit, with Vinnie Pasquantino a surprising omission from that list, going 0-for-4. Maikel Garcia also had two hits, including his team-best fourth triple that scored one of the ten Royals runs.

Kansas City Royals at Miami Marlins
June 6, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (25-36)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
Miami Marlins (28-34)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	X	5	9	0
W: Jesus Luzardo (5-4) L: Jordan Lyles (1-4) S: Raynel Espinal (1)

Tuesday, June 6th, 2023
After last night's double-digit run output, the Royals found offense scarce against left-hander Jesus Luzardo, who held them to just five hits over seven innings as the Royals dropped a 5-1 decision to even up their series.

Luzardo struck out seven Royal hitters, walking just one. Vinnie Pasquantino's RBI double in the first was the only run the Royals would muster against Marlins pitching the entire game.

Kansas City had another injury replacement to deal with, this time Maikel Garcia. Already battling a sore wrist, Garcia came up favoring his back after sliding into second on a double. He was replaced by Nicky Lopez, who went 1-for-3 with a run scored in his place.

Jordan Lyles pitched well, allowing just two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings of work with four punchouts and a walk. (Insert bullpen stats here).

Making his first start since returning from Omaha in place of Drew Waters, Nate Eaton reached base in all three of his plate appearances, with a single, walk, and was hit by a pitch once.

Kansas City Royals at Miami Marlins
June 7, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (26-36)	0	0	0	1	3	0	1	1	0	6	12	0
Miami Marlins (28-35)	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	3	0
W: Jose Cuas (1-0) L: Edward Cabrera (3-7) S: Scott Barlow (14)

Wednesday, June 7th, 2023
The Royals overcame an early 3-0 deficit to post a 6-4 win at loanDepot Park, taking the rubber match of the series with the Marlins. Austin Cox made his third career start, and struggled to find the strike zone early on with three walks in the first inning and six overall.

Jose Cuas picked up the victory, going 3 1/3 innings, which is a career-long outing for him. Matt Quatraro has not been hesitant to use him in lengthier situations in the past, but he cruised through his extended outing, tossing thirty-six pitches to get through nine hitters, including coaxing a double play.

"Some of those pitches, they weren't missing by a whole lot if they did at all," Matt Quatraro mused in the post-game interview. "I think that might have gotten into his head a little bit. Jose (Cuas) did a great job picking us up with some big-time innings."

Bobby Witt Jr doubled three times, driving in two of the Royals' six runs. Matt Duffy and Kyle Isbel also collected a pair of hits each, while MJ Melendez also reached base three times, going 1-for-3 with pair of walks. He's the second Royals player to reach thirty free passes (Pasquantino the other).

UP NEXT: at Baltimore Orioles (06/09 -- 06/11)

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YARBROUGH PLACED ON 60-DAY IL; STAUMONT RE-CALLED

Just a few days after being struck in the face with a line drive at the end of the Royals' victory on Monday, the Royals have placed lefty Ryan Yarbrough on the 60-day injured list with what was termed as a cheekbone fracture. There wasn't a timetable given for his return, although manager Matt Quatraro said that returning to the mound was "the furthest thing from our minds".

"I just spoke with him about an hour ago, despite being in some pain, he's in good spirits," he said. "They had to put a few staples in his cheek and a pin in his jaw, but the doctors think he'll make a full recovery."

Yarbrough, 31, has been one of the most consistent relievers out of the bullpen this season, posting a 1.90 ERA in 23 2/3 innings in relief, as opposed to a 6.94 ERA in 11 2/3 innings as a starter (three starts).

Right-hander Josh Staumont was re-called from Omaha. He's only appeared in one game for the Royals so far this season, as he pitched in a double-header with the Twins back on April 30th before being sent back down. He pitched a scoreless inning, but walked a pair of hitters before getting the final out.

GET TO KNOW A PROSPECT: JACOB GONZALEZ

Once again, we'll remain in the SEC with infielder Jacob Gonzalez, a shortstop from Ole Miss who might be the best left-handed hitter overall in the draft. Despite starting for the USA Baseball Collegiate National squad the last few seasons as a shortstop, there's some lack of consensus that he'll remain a shortstop at the next level. He doesn't have the greatest speed out of the box; and while his instincts are top-notch, it may not be enough.

When the Rebels won the College World Series title last season, he played a big role for them, going 2-for-4 with a homerun and an RBI single in the late innings that tied the game, before scoring on a wild pitch that gave them the lead for good.

He's a big, rangy athlete that could end up at second or third base, perhaps even a corner outfield spot, especially if his bat continues to develop into a middle-of-the-order stick. However, any team that drafts him is likely to stick with him at short initially to see if the glove will play, including Kansas City.

With 40 career homeruns, he has excellent power, but tended to look for the homerun ball too much as a sophomore and got away from what made him such a dangerous hitter his first year in college, when he was named the collegiate baseball freshman of the year. As a junior this season, he's been back to his freshman self, looking to spray line drives all over the field, and he's on pace to hit 13-15 homeruns this season, which shows plenty of power potential down the road.

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Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Baltimore Orioles

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | June 12th, 2023

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles
June 9, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (26-37)	1	0	1	0	3	0	2	0	0	7	10	0
Baltimore Orioles (29-33)	0	0	0	8	0	1	0	0	X	9	15	1
W:Mike Baumann (3-0) L: Zack Greinke(2-5) S: Bryan Baker (3)

Friday, June 9th, 2023
A leadoff homerun from MJ Melendez, and a third-inning RBI from Vinnie Pasquantino gave the Royals a 2-0 lead after just three-and-a-half innings, but the Orioles exploded for eight runs in the fourth, including six that were charged to Zack Greinke as Baltimore eventually held on late to hand the Royals a 9-7 defeat.

The other two runs were charged to Taylor Clarke, who just two hitters into his relief outing, allowed a three-run homerun to Kyle Stowers, one of his two round-trippers on the day. Gunnar Henderson would later hit a solo shot against Clarke in the sixth, which comprised the rest of the offense.

Bobby Witt Jr and Nate Eaton also hit homeruns in the contest, with Witt's coming in the fifth inning. Eaton hit his second of the season in the Royals' two-run rally in the seventh.

Greinke's six earned runs were the most he's allowed all season long, with the previous high of five on three previous occasions. He didn't walk a hitter in his 3 2/3 innings, but that's cold comfort for Greinke, who's been up-and-down since late April.

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles
June 10, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (26-38)	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	2	0	7	13	0
Baltimore Orioles (30-33)	1	0	4	2	0	0	1	5	X	13	12	1
W:Brady Singer (5-6) L: Cole Irvin (3-5) S: Keegan Akin (3)

Saturday, June 10th, 2023
In what would more likely be construed as a football score, the Orioles' offense came pretty fast and furious early by jumping out to a 5-0 lead after just three innings, eventually taking a 13-7 victory against the Royals to clinch the series victoyry. After a string of successful starts, Brady Singer was chased from the game after just 2 2/3 innings and five earned runs.

Down 7-2 in the seventh, the Royals would pull to within two runs thanks to a three-run double from Bobby Witt Jr, but Baltimore put forth a six-run salvo over their final two at-bats to put the Royals away by a 13-7 score. Of the six pitchers the Royals employed, only one came away with no damage in Mike Mayers as he threw a scoreless sixth inning.

Witt and Salvador Perez keyed the Royals' offense, collecting two hits each and driving in five of their seven runs. In addition to his double, Witt also tripled while Perez doubled and homered. MJ Melendez also continued his hot streak with two more hits, raising his average to .229, his high-water mark since the beginning of May.

"With MJ, it's just been a matter of finding some grass," manager Matt Quatraro mused. "Sometimes, it's really just down to that."

He's partially right -- Melendez has had some bad luck, although in recent weeks his BABIP has gone from the mid .250's to .306. June has also easily been his best month to date, slashing a potent .345/.472/.483 in thirty-six plate appearances. However, just two of his ten hits this month have gone for extra bases.

Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles
June 11, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (26-39)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4	6	0
Baltimore Orioles (31-33)	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	2	5	11	0
W:Keegan Akin (2-2) L: Scott Barlow (2-2) S: None

Sunday, June 11th, 2023
Scott Barlow came on with a one-run lead and a chance to get out of Baltimore with one win, but the Orioles got a foot in the door and blew it open in a 5-4 defeat for the Royals, dropping the series in sweeping fashion. After a stretch where they had won 11-of-14 games dating back to May 22nd, they've now lost three straight to Baltimore; and end their season series against the Orioles with a 1-5 record.

Terrin Vavra led off the ninth against Barlow by getting hit by a pitch, then Cedric Mullins singled him over to second before Adley Rutschman scored Vavra with a single of his own. A walk to Kyle Stowers preceded a strikeout of pinch-hitter Josh Lester, but Jorge Mateo scored Mullins with a long fly ball to center, ending the game with a walk-off sac fly.

Barlow's struggles this season have been well-documented, although he had saved seven straight games prior to blowing last night's save. He's averaging a career-worst 4.6 BB/9; while simultaneously going for 7.6 K/9, also a career-worst. His 19% strikeout rate is well below-average for relievers, and his walk rate of 11.2% is around the league average.

Kansas City had just seven baserunners the entire game, scoring four of them. Bobby Witt Jr collected a pair of hits, and Nick Pratto continues to put the ball over the wall in his brief stint with the Royals, hitting number eight in the eighth to put the Royals on top for the time being.

Brad Keller allowed just three earned runs in six innings with three walks and six punchouts, but allowed nine hits and struggled to limit hard contact, as six of the nine hits against him registered exit velo's of over 100 MPH.

UP NEXT: vs Cincinnati Reds (06/12 -- 06/14)

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ROYALS FLIP LOPEZ TO PITTSBURGH

Once thought as a potential multi-year starter at either shortstop or second base once upon a time, the Royals have now dealt utility infielder Nicky Lopez to the Pirates for right-handed pitcher Kevison Hernandez. The move clears a spot on the active roster for Michael Massey, who has hit .311/.341/.513 in roughly 125 plate appearances in Omaha over the past month.

Northwest Arkansas infielder Tyler Tolbert was added to the 40-man roster, which might be a good move with his jump in production, in addition to his plus-plus speed on the bases and in the field. He would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, so as long as he sticks on the 40-man roster, he'll remain in the organization for the foreseeable future.

With a righty-dominant lineup, Lopez gives Pittsburgh a lefty bat to come off the bench that can play three different spots on the infield, and even quite possibly in the outfield in a pinch with that athleticism.

After a 2021 campaign that saw him post a career-best .744 OPS (107 OPS+), the Royals figured they had secured one of their middle infield spots for years to come. However, he slumped back to his pre-2021 form last season, posting a .558 OPS and getting passed over by youngsters like Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr for playing time. This year, Maikel Garcia has impressed in a small stint of at-bats, further putting Lopez behind in the pecking order. His .508 OPS this season (39 OPS+) is a career-worst.

Meanwhile, the Royals are getting a boom-or-bust type prospect in Hernandez, a lanky right-hander that sports three MLB-average pitches at this point, but command and control are still sore spots in his overall game. Signed by Pittsburgh as an international free agent in 2021, he immediately put up solid swing-and-miss numbers, fanning twenty-seven in 22 1/3 innings as an 18-year-old that season.

Last year, he struck out twenty in just 12 2/3 innings, shooting him up some rankings in the Pirates' system, with some publications pegging him as a top-30 prospect in their organization. He throws a fastball that runs in the low 90's with a curveball and changeup that both project out to be plus offerings as well, although his lack of premium velocity might render him to the back of a rotation as opposed to the front.

TOP PROSPECT TO DEBUT

Considered to be a huge feather in the cap of the Royals' front office at the time, the Royals have decided that outfielder Tony Ruiz will now debut for the Dominican Summer League's Glass team beginning this week. The 17-year-old was signed by the Royals for $1.2 million back in January, and Boston was considered the front-runner before Kansas City made a final pitch for him over the last handful of weeks before the signing period ended.

Ruiz checked in at 30th overall in the most recent international prospect class rankings, and is a top-five consensus prospect in the system. The six-foot-three, rangy outfielder projects to have plus arm, fielding, hit, and power tools, really only lacking in the speed department; and even then, should have at least MLB-average speed. If he fills out his lanky frame as some scouts think he might, he could end up as a very solid, playable defender in left or right field that could be a .300 BA, 25+ homerun bat.

Both VP of Player Personnel Lonnie Goldberg and Scouting Director Danny Ontiveros noted that Ruiz has shown excellent progress in the Dominican League workouts over the past few weeks; and while games have already started, they also disclosed he's been dealing with an ankle sprain that prevented him from seeing the field from the jump.

"He's been ready," Goldberg said, very upbeat in a recent interview. "We're real, real excited to get him on the field and get him going. We think his hit tool is at least average for the level, and he's got enough raw power to tap into right now."

GET TO KNOW A PROSPECT: JACOB WILSON

For the first time in these write-ups, we're going to get away from the SEC. As the son of former MLB'er Jack Wilson, Jacob is known for contact and his miniscule 3% career strikeout rate in his college career at Grand Canyon University, a private university in the Phoenix suburbs.

Scouts are rather polarized on him. He's not the most athletic infielder out there and has limited foot speed, but soft hands and a live arm should help him stay at short, or play a plus third base with an above-average stick at the plate. In terms of the Royals, he's been mentioned as a comp to players such as Nick Loftin (OK!) to Christian Colon (ugh!).

Despite a fairly decorated high school career, he wasn't heavily recruited by any Power 5 school and went undrafted as well in the 2020 draft. After ending up at GCU, he's one of the best players to ever come through the school -- he's the program's all-time leader in average, hits, doubles, and walks.

One glaring nit to pick is his lack of power, with just seven career homeruns in three seasons. Any team that drafts Wilson is going to bank on his elite bat-to-ball skills translating to the next level, and hoping that a below-average power tool eventually becomes a fringe-average one.

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Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Cincinnati Reds

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | June 15th, 2023

Cincinnati Reds vs Kansas City Royals
June 12, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds (35-32)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	7	1
Kansas City Royals (27-39)	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	X	5	8	0
W:Jordan Lyles (2-4) L: Hunter Greene (3-4) S: Scott Barlow (15)

Monday, June 12th, 2023
Welcome back to the show, Michael Massey! After a one-month stint in Omaha to correct some mechanical issues at the plate, the Royals' second baseman was re-called in the wake of the trade of Nicky Lopez to the Pirates; and delivered in a big way with a walk and two hits, including a three-run homerun as the Royals downed the Reds 5-2 to open a three-game series. Salvador Perez also homered for the Royals, going 2-for-4 to push his average back over the .200 mark to .201.

Despite a mini-slump towards the end of his time in Triple-A in which he went 3-for-27 in his final six games, Massey still hit an impressive .311/.341/.513 in 126 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers, including four doubles, a triple, and six homeruns. He also had an average exit velo of 97.8 MPH on his hits.

"We saw some things on tape that weren't easy to spot at the outset, but once we did, we decided it would be best to get that corrected at a lower level before rolling it out in the majors," said manager Matt Quatraro, who wouldn't specify what the tweak or correction was. "Let's just say that when we saw it, we couldn't believe that we didn't see it earlier."

The win snapped a short three-game losing skid, and pushed their record against the NL Central to 4-2 as of Monday's results.

Fresh off an extension several days ago that will net him $53 million over the next six seasons, Cincinnati's Hunter Greene allowed three earned runs over seven innings of work, striking out seven with just one walk. An error by Joey Votto in the second inning cost the Reds one run, as Greene was tagged with four runs in all.

Working just 5 1/3 innings, Jordan Lyles surrendered just a pair of earned runs with three strikeouts and a walk, picking up the victory. Scott Barlow worked the final four outs for the save, his 15th of the season. Aroldis Chapman had his scoreless outings streak stopped at eight, allowing an earned run in 1 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen in relief of Lyles.

Cincinnati Reds vs Kansas City Royals
June 13, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds (35-33)	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	7	0
Kansas City Royals (28-39)	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	X	4	13	0
W:Dylan Coleman (3-0) L: Silvino Bracho (2-1) S: Scott Barlow (15)

Tuesday, June 13th, 2023
Once again, Scott Barlow single-handedly made things interesting in the ninth, but held fast for the save in a 4-3 Royals victory, clinching the series with the Reds on Tuesday night.

After a rare strikeout of Willians Astudillo, back-to-back hits from Tyler Hill and Michael Siani put runners at second and third with just one out. Noelvi Marte grounded into a fielder's choice (6-4) to score Hill from third, but another 6-4 fielder's choice from Jonathan India ended the contest.

The top one-third of the Royals' order keyed the offense, with MJ Melendez leading the way with four hits, all singles. He scored twice, while Nick Pratto and Maikel Garcia each scored once. Bobby Witt Jr and Pratto also combined with Melendez to go 9-for-13 at the top of the order.

Austin Cox picked up his second win of the season, going just five innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits, walking two with just one strikeout. Dylan Coleman moved to 3-0 on the season in relief, tossing two scoreless frames.

Cincinnati Reds vs Kansas City Royals
June 14, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds (35-34)	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	7	0
Kansas City Royals (29-39)	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	X	3	8	0
W:Zack Greinke (3-5) L: Nick Lodolo (5-5) S: Carlos Hernandez (2)

Wednesday, June 14th, 2023
Behind a season-high seven strikeouts in seven complete stanzas from Zack Greinke, the Royals completely negated the road sweep at Baltimore by sweeping the Reds out of Kansas City, completing the sweep with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.

It was just his third win of the season, as he scattered five hits, two earned runs, and one walk in a tidy 94 pitches over seven innings. Carlos Hernandez picked up the save, just his second of the season as Scott Barlow has received a ton of work over the last handful of games.

Cincinnati actually got on the board first with Jonathan India's tenth homerun of the season in the top of the first, but wouldn't touch Greinke again until the seventh when Michael Siani's RBI single scored Spencer Steer to cut their deficit in half from 3-1 to 3-2.

Freddy Fermin's first MLB homerun, a two-run jack in the fourth, put the Royals on top for good. They added an insurance run in the following frame, an RBI double from Matt Duffy, a run that would end up looming large late.

Duffy and Jackie Bradley Jr led the Royals with a pair of hits each, while four other Royals collected one each. Despite taking the loss, Reds starter Nick Lodolo worked the entire game from start to finish, allowing three earned runs in eight innings (covering 101 pitches).

Brad Keller allowed just three earned runs in six innings with three walks and six punchouts, but allowed nine hits and struggled to limit hard contact, as six of the nine hits against him registered exit velo's of over 100 MPH.

UP NEXT: vs Los Angeles Angels (06/16 -- 06/18)

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WHO IS NEXT TO BE TRADED?

With Nicky Lopez now off to the Pirates, it got me thinking here as we head into the middle of June, which is when non-contending teams start selling off expiring assets, is who is next to go for the Royals? It's pretty apparent that the Royals won't be contending this year (or next year, if we're being honest), which is likely why Lopez was dealt despite having multiple years of control. We've identified ten potential veterans (plus one surprise) that could end up being dealt at or prior to the deadline. Out of these eleven, I would guess between two to four of them get traded. These are not in order of likelihood, but alphabetical order.

Scott Barlow: Since halfway through the 2021 season, Barlow has more or less been the Royals' primary closer, saving forty-three games prior to the start of this season. His 4.15 ERA isn't the worst of his career, but his 3.99 FIP and 4.36 SIERA are by far the worst marks of his career, and his strikeout rate has gone in the wrong direction now for the last two seasons. Starting in 2021, it was 29.7% before going to 26.6% last season. This season, it's dropped all the way to 19.3%; all the while with a fluctuating walk rate that is at a high-water mark of 10.5% this year. He's still a valuable piece that could be had in a trade, but he's lost a ton of value as a potential closing option for a contender. He'd be a good fit in the middle innings for the Yankees, who are in last place in the AL East, but are just 4.5 games out of the wildcard. They have one of the five worst bullpens in terms of ERA, at 4.47.

Jackie Bradley, Jr: Even in his age-33 season, JBJ is still a positive defender, with 2 DRS between CF and RF this season in a part-time role. Early on in the season at the plate, he was boasting career-best walk rates that approached 20%, but has since cooled off quite a bit in that regard, although he still has a walk rate hovering around 10%, with a career-low strikeout rate of just over 18%. He'd primarily be acquired for defensive purposes, but he can at least still get on base at an okay clip and put the ball in play, even if it's fairly weak contact.

Aroldis Chapman: The 35-year-old veteran has probably been the best reliever the Royals have, pound-for-pound, this season. He started off hot, than had a brief lull, and now has been one of the premier southpaw relievers in the league over the past month. He had a no-earned-runs streak of nine straight appearances before getting tagged for an earned run on Monday night. He's been equally dominant against lefties and righties -- his OPS against him is .535 from the right side, and .489 from the left. His strikeout rates haven't gone back up to quite the level pre-2022, but a 33.7% rate is nothing to sneeze at. He's also managed to keep his walks to a minimum, with an 11.6% rate in that regard. That's the lowest mark he's had since the shortened 2020 season, where he had an 8.8% rate. Much like Barlow, he'd be a good fit in New York with the Yankees, but would they take him back? Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and the Angels would also make sense.

Taylor Clarke: Clarke was brilliant through the first seven weeks of the season, posting a 2.22 ERA and backing that up with a SIERA of 2.45. That all changed on May 20th, with four earned runs over just one-third of an inning against the White Sox. He didn't pitch again until the 30th, going two-thirds scoreless. His last three outings have been poor, though, with eight earned runs over his last 6 1/3 innings, with just two strikeouts and a walk to balloon his ERA to 4.79. That said, his SIERA has remained at a solid 3.46, although his FIP jumped to 5.91, so there is some disagreement with the metrics on Clarke's performance. He still has cheap team control through 2025, so there isn't much reason to walk away from him now; but his homeruns per nine are way up over last year, and he's lost a full strikeout per nine off that pace, so there is some concern here. He's actually more of a non-tender candidate in the offseason at this point than a trade candidate, frankly.

Matt Duffy: Of all the players on this list, he might be the most tradeable at this point. He only has 107 plate appearances, but he's made the most of them with a .313/.364/.424 slashline (113 OPS+), which would put him on pace for close to a 2 WAR season, even as a part-timer. He can play all four infield positions at least at an average level (some more than others), and has also played both left and right field this season. A team that's trying to develop young players on the infield such as Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey really don't have much use for a veteran bat such as Duffy, but he's played more than he should have due to the fact that he's been one of the more productive hitters on the team when he does play.

Amir Garrett: Garrett was designated off the roster right as he hit free agency eligibility, but accepted an outright assignment to Omaha after clearing waivers. He could still be a lower-cost option for a team that could afford to pick up the remainder of the $2.25 million that he's still owed, although he's being paid at a lower rate due to being in the minors. In five appearances with the Storm Chasers (four innings), he hasn't allowed a hit, but has issued four walks and five strikeouts to go along with a 6.75 ERA. If he can find his way back onto the active roster in the near future and pitch well, his chances of being moved likely go way up.

Zack Greinke: I'm only including Zack on this list because he's a free agent after this season, and he's received some mild interest in the early goings of the season. That said, despite not having a NTC in his contract, Greinke has expressed his desire to not be traded, and appears to be happy in KC despite the team's struggles. He'll be roughly owed around $3 million if he's traded at the deadline, so there's a minimal investment a trading team would have to make, and there's the question of his productivity at the time of a hypothetical trade.

Brad Keller: Three of Keller's last four starts have been of the quality kind, and there's a lot to like with his overall strikeout numbers (8.3 K/9, 20.3% K-rate), which are career-bests for him. However, he has just walked way too many hitters, with an ugly 13.8% walk rate. Recent results have brought that number down a bit, as it was over 15% a month ago. His new curveball has also been fairly successful to date, as hitters are batting less than .200 on the pitch. The Brad Keller that has taken the mound in the last 20-25 days will probably get you a B-/C+ level prospect if he can keep that up, but a free-agent to be starting pitcher that can't miss bats and walks too many hitters is someone that likely ends up on the DFA line post-July 31st.

Mike Mayers: The 31-year-old Mayers has been around a while and is now on his third MLB team prior to hitting free agency. He's controlled through next season at the current rate, so there is no rush to trade him this season, but he's one of those pitchers that if you can get even so much as a lottery ticket, you should take it and run. Besides, there are several guys in Triple-A, such as Andres Nunez and Isaiah Campbell, who appear to be ready to make the next step and will be much cheaper than Mayers over the next handful of seasons.

Nick Pratto: Now THIS is the surprise player on this list. I've argued in the past that Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino could exist on the same roster, but you would need a very strong defensive CF and at least one strong defensive corner outfielder (the Royals do have both fortunately), as Pratto or Pasquantino would be locked into playing in left field exclusively with the other playing first base, most likely. Pratto is the more athletically gifted of the two to play the outfield, but is the much better defender at first base. You could also insert Pasquantino as a tradeable asset here, as his strikeout rate has jumped about 4% (still a very, very good 15.3%), and his ISO is .177, which isn't as good as you'd like out of a middle-of-the-order hitter, although it's an improvement over last season's .155 ISO mark. If you traded Pasquantino, you'd be making a very large bet that Pratto figures out the swing-and-miss issues, and becomes an overall better player than Vinnie when you factor in defense and ISO.

Josh Staumont: Of all the players on this list, Staumont would be one of the least likely to be traded -- controlled through 2025, and is only slated to earn roughly $2 million through arbitration for next season per Fangraphs. After being in Omaha for the vast majority of the season, he's made two appearances with the Royals since being re-called on June 3rd. He also was on the roster as the 27th man for a double header with the Twins back in April, but didn't appear in either game and was immediately optioned back down. After a superb 2021 season in which he posted a 2.88 ERA, and was backed up by a 3.62 FIP and 3.34 SIERA, he bombed in 2022 with a 6.45 ERA, although FIP and SIERA were much kinder (4.32, 4.34). He's been extremely good in Triple-A, so there's still some hope that his 2022 season with the Royals was an aberration.

GET TO KNOW A PROSPECT: CHASE DOLLANDER

In about any other class, Tennessee righty Chase Dollander would be the top collegiate pitching option. He doesn't have Paul Skenes' physically imposing frame and velocity, but he can hold his own in the RPM department, routinely putting 2000+ RPM spin rates on his fastball and slider, both considered plus MLB offerings even as of right now.

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Dollander sports a whip-like delivery that produces a ton of sink-and-run on both the slider and fastball, and also has decent curveball and changeup offerings that quite aren't up to par with his fastball and slider, but in time could at least end up as average pitches.

After starting his career at Georgia Southern, Dollander transferred to Tennessee for this season (much like Hurston Waldrep at Florida, whom we covered earlier). His adjustment to Power 5 baseball hasn't always been smooth, but he's shown better command than Waldrep with the same swing-and-miss prowess, with 111 strikeouts in 78 innings of work.

Scouts are also concerned that neither one of his other two pitches develop, rendering him a high-end bullpen arm instead of fronting a rotation. His command has also been spotty, allowing thirteen dingers in those same 78 innings.

The Royals need pitching; and not only that, they need arms that can move through a system quickly and contribute sooner rather than later. A handful of mocks have Dollander going in the top five, but most of them have him in the spots six through nine range; including a few that have him going to the Royals with the eighth pick, including The Athletic's Keith Law, who is amongst the best in the business at evaluating amateurs.

[artoodeetoo]

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Los Angeles Angels

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | June 19th, 2023

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals
June 16, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles Angels (33-39)	0	0	0	8	0	2	2	0	0	12	12	0
Kansas City Royals (29-40)	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	10	0
W: Reid Detmers (3-5) L: Brady Singer (5-7) S: None

Friday, June 16th, 2023
Bobby Witt Jr hit a two-run homerun to get the Royals out to a 2-0 lead after one inning, but little else went right for them as they ended up losing by a 12-3 score. The Angels picked up eight runs in the fourth, with seven of those runs being charged to Brady Singer, who has now allowed a dozen earned runs over his last two starts.

Rookie Zach Neto led the Angels with three hits, while Mike Trout did Mike Trout things, hitting his MLB-best 37th homerun (through just 304 PA!) and driving in two runs of his own. The eight runs were more than enough for Reid Detmers, who minimized the Royals' damage to just two earned runs over five innings.

"When it rains, it pours, I suppose," said a dejected Matt Quatraro after the game. "Brady's had his struggles the past handful of times out there, and I think he'd be the first to tell you that, but we'll have to get in the film room and look at some things, make some adjustments."

Not only did Singer struggle, allowing seven earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings, but the bullpen has backslid in recent weeks. Taylor Clarke was shelled for five hits and three earned runs over 1 2/3 innings, and Jose Cuas was tagged for two earned over 1 2/3 frames. Only Mike Mayers escaped unscathed, going two scoreless.

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals
June 17, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles Angels (34-39)	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1	3	10	17	0
Kansas City Royals (29-41)	0	1	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	5	11	0
W: Zack Weiss (1-1) L: Josh Staumont (0-1) S: None

Saturday, June 17th, 2023
Lost in the Royals' disappointing 10-5 loss to the Angels on Saturday night was the fourth immaculate inning in team history, thrown in the second inning by Brad Keller, who fanned the side on nine pitches. That inning was part of a largely amazing outing; eventually marred by a lackluster seventh inning that turned a 5-0 lead into a 6-5 deficit.

The last Royal pitcher to accomplish the feat was Stan Belinda, who struck out the side on nine pitches against the Seattle Mariners on August 6th, 1994. Two other pitchers have done it in team history, including Danny Jackson's immaculate inning in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, which to this day is still the only immaculate inning in World Series history. Former All-Star closer Jeff Montgomery turned the feat on April 29, 1990, against the Rangers.

Keller worked six shutout frames with seven hits scattered and seven strikeouts, but the first five hitters he faced in the seventh inning all reached, and was then replaced by Josh Staumont. He was not initially able to stop the bleeding, as he surrendered a single and two walks before finally recording an out, nine hitters into the inning. Keller was eventually charged with all five runs that scored before he left, although three of them were let in by Staumont.

"Brad pitched really, really well," manager Matt Quatraro beamed in the post-game interview. "Unfortunately, it was like trying to repair a dam in a driving rainstorm after that inning."

For the second time in as many games, the Royals couldn't handle an onslaught of runs in a short span of time, as they allowed eight runs in the fourth inning in Friday's loss before allowing ten unanswered over the final three innings of Saturday's defeat.

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals
June 18, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles Angels (35-39)	0	0	5	0	1	0	0	2	1	9	13	0
Kansas City Royals (29-42)	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	8	1
W: Jose Suarez (5-6) L: Jordan Lyles (2-5) S: None

Sunday, June 18th, 2023
Once again, the Royals took an early lead, only to see it quickly evaporate into a large deficit as the Angels slapped the Royals around by a 9-2 score. In getting swept at home by the Halos, the Royals were outscored 31-10 in the three matchups, a run differential of -21.

In the first, MJ Melendez worked a walk, and then stole second to get into scoring position. He was knocked in by Salvador Perez's single two hitters later, but they wouldn't score again until the seventh inning when Freddy Fermin homered for the second time this season as part of a two-hit day. Perez also collected a pair of hits, including a double and a walk.

Kansas City tied a season high with seven pitchers used in the game, as Jordan Lyles went just two-plus innings with five earned runs. A two-run homerun in the third from Taylor Ward finally ran Lyles from the game, but none of the relievers that came after him were especially successful -- both Taylor Clarke and Mike Mayers hurled scoreless innings, but allowed seven baserunners between them. Josh Staumont faced two batters in the eighth, and struck both of them out.

"Just a pretty disappointing series all around," said manager Matt Quatraro. "We did well in getting all three in Cincinnati, feeling pretty good, and then we just didn't execute very well at all in this one. They're a good team, no doubt, but we didn't play as well as I thought we could."

The two worst teams in the division will square off over the next three nights, as Detroit (also 29-42) will host the visiting Royals for three beginning tonight.

UP NEXT: at Detroit Tigers (06/19 -- 06/21)