\"A dim view of humanity\" -Lee Judge
The Royals won 82 games last year, five games out of a playoff spot and four games worse than they were in 2025. It was tantalizingly close, and the reason they fell short seemed easy enough to identify – outfield offensive production. Royals outfielders collectively hit .225/.285/.348, a 73 wRC+ mark that was easily the […]
Anne Rogers writes about how Michael Massey turned to physics to analyze his swing as he fights for a role in 2026. At its core, Massey’s focus was on the forces applied in a swing, both with his body and his bat, and how his bat needs to move to contact the ball consistently. In […]
In today’s spring training matchup, the Royals take on the Cubs. We’ll get our first look at Seth Lugo after his injury-plagued 2025 season. Lugo’s 4.15 ERA from 2025 outperformed his 5.09 FIP, and he pitched only 145.1 innings. The Royals gave Lugo an extension instead of trading him last season, so it’s crucial that […]
You know the Royals are in a differYou know the Royals are in a different era when they enter camp with few roster spots on the line, rather than holding an open tryout for the lineup. The Royals are pretty much set with their starting nine and rotation, but if there are roster spots to […]
Spring is back — and so is Royals baseball. In tBaseball is back — and the Royals are giving us plenty to talk about. In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down the latest developments from Kansas City Royals Spring Training, analyzing early player performances, pitching depth, […]
Hope springs eternal, and spring training is supposed to be an especially hopeful time for fans of all Major League Baseball clubs, even those who don’t root for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the only time of the season where all fans can maybe, just maybe, convince themselves that this could be the year. […]
Anne Rogers writes that Vinnie Pasquantino knows he has to get off to a good start this year. While the hamstring strain Pasquantino suffered at the end of Spring Training last year may have had an impact, he was more concerned about the swing decisions he was making during that month. “It’s not about getting hits or […]
The Kansas City Royals are back in action after getting crushed yesterday by the Padres 10-3. The Royals won their first Spring Training game against the Rangers 7-3 and will look to get back in the groove of things today taking on the Brewers. Bailey Falter takes the ball to start today. Falter, a trade […]
Can I interest you in an embedded Bluesky post to set the mood? The Royals are back in action this afternoon, hosting the San Diego Padres in Surprise. They’ll face off against MLB The Show stud but real-life underperformer Matt Waldron, the last known (to me, at least) knuckleballer in MLB. Here’s the lineup they’ll […]
Jaylon Thompson writes that Michael Massey is looking to put last season behind him. “A lot of guys have tough years,” he said, “and you just keep fighting and you learn something from it. You learn from it, you move on and you kind of leave the result in the past.” Massey is excited for […]
As I have traditionally write my threads and recaps on Saturdays, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to write the first thread of a season before, but I’m taking over Fridays this year, too, so I am stoked to present to you the first Royals lineup of 2026! I’m a little disappointed we won’t get […]
Hope springs eternal this time of year, particularly if you’re a hitter in the hot, dry air of Arizona. The Royals typically perform pretty well in the Cactus League, which means absolutely nothing since the games don’t count. But you can be excused for getting a teensy bit excited about a player who seemed to […]
Spring is back — and so is Royals baseball. In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco dive into the excitement surrounding Kansas City Royals spring training and what fans can expect as the new season approaches. From the buzz around camp to the practical implications of updated strike […]
With the expiration date of the current competitive bargaining agreement between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the owners looming over the end of the season like a supermoon in the sky, you can be assured that there will be lots of digital ink spilled all year long about the key negotiating issues. This […]
The Royals announced they have signed former All-Star catcher Elias Díaz to a minor league deal. Díaz spent 106 games with the Padres last year and hit .204/.270/.337 with nine home runs. The Venezuelan-born Díaz began his career with the Pirates in 2015, but was non-tendered after the 2019 season. He signed on with the […]
Spring Training games start today! Like, real baseball games (that don’t count in the standings)! In yesterday’s Rumblings, Max posted that Stephen Kolek would start today’s game against the Rangers. Jaylon Thompson wrote an entire story about it for The Star: “I’m excited for it,” Kolek said. “It’s a great honor to be the first […]
The Royals have had a full squad working out all week and tomorrow they’ll begin their first exhibition matchups. Spring training performances can be difficult to judge. Many players are working on new pitches, new swings, and with new teammates. The thin, dry air of Arizona is not like the environment players will play in […]
Last week, Royals Review Editor-in-ChLast week, Royals Review Editor-in-Chief Max Rieper asked us to highlight a minor leaguer to watch this spring. I immediately volunteered to write about a guy with a fantastic name who has been racing through the Royals’ system: Carson Roccaforte. Roccaforte was drafted by KC in the 2023 Competitive Balance B […]
At the end of January, I wrote an article about the Kansas City Royals potentially moving a starting pitcher for prospects. The Royals have enviable depth, and I think there are six guys – Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, and Ryan Bergert – who really should be in an MLB […]
Jaylon Thompson wrote about the first full-squad workout on Monday. The Royals expect most of the spring competition to be reserve roles. The starting lineup is pretty much set with Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez leading the way. “I mean, without naming names, it’s very obvious who some of the […]
The Kansas City Royals were on the brink of making the playoffs last season, they were in it until the final week of the season, despite the myriad of starting pitching injuries and hitters underperforming. Things like that happen in baseball, everything doesn’t work out the way you want or plan for them to go. […]
The abrupt resignation of MLBPA chief Tony Clark this week over an embarrassing affair with his sister-in-law, who was hired by the union, brings greater uncertainty to future labor negotiations between the unions and owners as the labor deal expires at the end of the baseball season. Many observers are girding for a divisive standoff […]
With apologies to Steve Busby, Paul Splittorff, and 1972 Roger Nelson, the first true ace of the Kansas City Royals was a Brooklyn, New York native named Dennis Leonard. After graduating from high school, Leonard walked onto the baseball team at Iona University, a small Catholic (4,000 students) college located just north of the Bronx. […]
MLB.com’s Anne Rogers talks with new Royals assistant hitting coach Connor Dawson. A 2012 graduate of Olathe North High School in Kansas, Dawson grew up about 25 miles southwest of Kauffman Stadium. He played collegiately at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, but he set his sights on coaching early. He coached the Kansas […]
We all have regrets. That includes baseball teams like the Royals, who have the moves that didn’t pan out, the moments that didn’t go their way, the pivotal decisions that could have worked out differently. Time travel stories and alternate histories are some of my favorite genres of fiction. What if a man decides to […]