Despite a frustrating 12-16 June, the Royals find themselves 4 games above .500 and in 2nd place in both the
AL Central and the
AL Wild Card standings as the league prepares to restart following the All-Star Break.
The roster has seen some changes, some made right before Opening Day and some in the run up to the All-Star Game.
Trades & Waiver Claims
Saturday, March 24th, 2029
As the Royals opening day approached, three waiver claims were executed which shook the team up.
Creed Willems offered a plus power bat and equivalent defence to
Caleb Lomavita which was too good to pass up and, with Caleb retaining options years, he was sent to Omaha.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. offered a different bat profile to
Matt Etzel – above average contact and a plus eye versus average contact and above average gap power – to go with CF range and plus plus error, meaning he can cover all three outfield positions defensively. Etzel was also optioned to Omaha. Bradfield Jr. also showcases 80 stealing ability and aggressiveness which aligns with the Royals strategy for 2029.
Tuesday, March 27th, 2029
Angel Perdomo’s appearance on the waiver wire gave the Royals the chance to pick up another stuff – 80 – pitcher who struggles for control but has an 80 slider to match with a plus plus fastball and plus change up. His arrival meant
Julian Aguiar would open the season in AAA.
Wednesday, July 11th, 2029- Traded 29-year old 3B Luis Garcia to the San Francisco Giants, getting 31-year old 3B Spencer Steer, 25-year old minor league RHP Myung-joo Kim, and $250,000 in cash in return.
- Traded 26-year old C Creed Willems to the New York Yankees, getting 24-year old minor league RHP Cade Townsend and $6,000,000 in cash in return.
- Traded 31-year old RHP Hayden Wesneski and $1,700,000 in cash to the San Diego Padres, getting 19-year old minor league RHP Jesus Pinto in return.
The next big set of moves came as the team broke up for the All Star Break.
Firstly,
Luis Garcia had failed to live up to his ratings over 1½ seasons – his plus contact providing a .267 average and his plus gap power a slugging percentage under .400. He moves onto his 4th Major League team while the Royals will try 6-year veteran (and 2024 NL All Star)
Steer at 3rd. He grades out average across the board with plus gap power and had produced a 130 wRC+ for SF across 80 games (Garcia – 90). If he can provide that the rest of the season, Royals fans will be happy. He is a free agent after this season and is currently looking for 4 years at $8.5m to extend (an unlikely scenario).
Kim is a power pitching relief prospect with two plus pitches to go with above average movement and will start in AA.
Next up was the progress of 2027 8th Round pick C
Jonathan Gerew. An above average contact and potential eye is paired with plus plus ability at Catcher (including almost plus plus framing) to provide a defence first back up to Herrera (and heir apparent for the starter role.
Willems had posted a 46 wRC+ in his first 100 PA and that was enough for Stewart to turn the job over to Gerew. He becomes the first KC drafted player to be promoted to the big leagues by Stewart, making his debut on 12 July (1 for 4, 1R).
Townsend is a 5-pitch starting prospect with a potential 55-50-50 profile and 60 stamina. He will start at AAA but could see the back of the rotation before the end of the season. The $6m in cash was a nice bonus.
Finally,
Hayden Wesneski had his contract bought when
JT Brubaker got injured. A 5.96 FIP over 13 starts was a disastrous return and, on Brubaker’s return, Wesneski found himself out of options and out of the rotation. The Royals covered the remainder of his salary in cash and picked up a young relief prospect, who projects to a 55-50-50 profile with two plus pitches.
Pinto will start in A ball.
Injuries
The Royals avoided serious injury problems over the first half of the season with only
JT Brubaker and
Wyatt Langford missing more than a month, both getting injured in late April and returning in June.
Tuesday, April 24th , 2029- SP JT Brubaker was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: rotator cuff inflammation. He's expected to miss about 2 months.
Monday, April 23rd , 2029- LF Wyatt Langford was injured on a defensive play. The Diagnosis: shoulder tendinitis. He's expected to miss about 6 weeks.
The Team
A dominant pitching staff with a struggling offence is once again the story for the Kansas City Royals. Extra-base hits (6th) and avoiding strikeouts (2nd) are the only top-6 categories for the Royals, although the 64 stolen bases is only 14 less than they managed in the whole of the 2028 season.
The pitching staff lead the AL in a host of categories, from Runs allowed to Strikeouts, while the defence remains the AL leader. The 2nd best ERA in the AL is built on an AL-leading bullpen but, this year is backed up by the 4th best rotation (even with Wesneski providing 13 starts of 6.18 ERA).
Ivan Herrera (78 wRC+) has been as solid as always behind the plate while offering below average hitting figures. His 11% walk rate keeps him playable although he will back up rookie
Jonathan Gerew the rest of the way.
Luke Adams (94 wRC+) has 20 HRs before the All Star Break, putting him on track for 30+ HR for the season – which would put him to the top ten of single season performances for the Royals. Adding in his 1.7 ZR at 1B and Adams has earned his spot in the roster, and was rewarded as he won the June AL Batter of the Month Award.
Nick Loftin (111 wRC+) is back to his solid self in 2029. On track for another 3+ WAR season, his combination of top ten ZR and wRC+ for everyday second baseman shouldn’t be taken for granted by Royals fans.
With
Luis Garcia being traded,
Spencer Steer is the new everyday third baseman. 5 games into his Royals career he has a .792 OPS, long may that continue.
Bobby Witt Jr. (80 wRC) has been the disappointment of the season to date with the bat. A projected 12 HRs would be lower than his 13 from an injury interrupted season a year ago, with his current OBP (<.300) and SLG (<.400) both at risk of hitting career lows. While still offering elite defence at SS, the Royals are hoping to see a turnaround in the second half of the season or the remaining 8 years of his contract could start to cause heartburn.
Hunter Owen (124 wRC+) has been as advertised, striking out in over a third of his at bats but could hit 35+ HRs on the back of a slugging percentage over .500.
Gregory Barrios (71 wRC+) has been up and down in limited appearances (April 174; May – 47; June 99) but offers strong defensive cover at both 2B and SS while
Maikel Garcia (100 wRC+) is league average offensively in a much-reduced 2029 role.
Wyatt Langford (103 wRC+) was missed during his injury lay off; the second highest SLG% on the team and a SO rate below 25% making him an important player to keep fit.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (66 wRC+) has really struggled in his second season with the team with both his average (.199) and slugging (.377) over 100 points lower than last season. He has option years left and some development according to the Royals’ scouting director.
The arrival of
Bradfield Jr. has allowed
Jorge Ruiz (114 wRC+) to move to a corner position where he has offered a .791 OPS and solid defence.
Bradfield Jr. (58 wRC+) has been below bad with the bat but offers strong CF defence and leads all baseball in stolen bases. In an ideal world he would move to a defensive replacement, pinch running 4th OF so the Royals will be on the lookout for a viable CF bat, either internally or via trade before the end of the month.
The starting rotation is full of solid pitches under team control with only experienced
JT Burbaker (112 ERA+) out of contract at the end of the season. Only
Drew Beam (97 ERA+) is pitching below league average, but offsetting that with a 55% Quality Start grade.
Mason Barnett (134 ERA+) holds the 5th lowest WHIP in baseball, while
Chase Burns (130 ERA+) won the April Pitcher of the Month Award.
Aiden May (acquired for Luisangel Acuna in the offseason) is on track for almost 3 WAR with a 133 ERA+.
The bullpen is led by the Royals sole 2029 All Star,
John McMillon (166 ERA+) – one run on no hits in an inning of work in the ASG – but features a full battery of above league average performers. Waiver claim
Angel Perdomo (154 ERA+) is striking out over a third of batters he faces with both
DJ Herz (105 ERA+) and McMillon joining him above 30%.
Raimon Gomez (121 ERA+) and FA signing
Jose Quijada (111 ERA+) are the only pitchers with WHIP above a 1.20 with both
Josiah Gray (165 ERA+) and IFA signing
Yusuke Matsumura (119 ERA+) under 1.0.
If there was an affordable rental Ace the Royals might pounce but this pitching staff looks, injuries aside, set for the remainder of the season.
Minor Leagues
Bats
27 3B
Juan Zubia DSL – hitting .996 OPS with 152 wRC+. A 35 Contact keeps him at DSL for the rest of the season.
51 SS
Tim Storer Rookie – a 145 wRC+ sees him promoted to A ball for the rest of the season.
59 CF
Jimmy Goodman AA – May’s AA Batter of the Month earned promotion to AAA with a 1.019 OPS and 154 wRC+. He will play a corner at AAA with his 60 OF Range too low for CF.
75 SS
Edgar Mir INT – still only 16 Mir remains in the International Complex
95 RF
Enny Mijhail Van Dyke R – struggled with a 41 wRC+ so will see out the year in Rookie ball
143 SS
Jeremy Rogerson AA – produced 5.1 WAR to gain promotion to AAA. He will be competing with Goodman for a September call up at worst.
207 1B
Luke Adams MLB – has cemented himself at 1B for the Royals and is on track to hit 30 HRs.
209 LF
Luis Cabrera R – a 69 wRC+ isn’t enough to gain promotion from the DSL.
306 LF
Tim Spears R – a 59 wRC+ isn’t enough to gain promotion form Rookie ball.
314 RF
Ken Adams R – 101 wRC+ but 35 contact keeps him at Rookie ball.
359 1B
Marv Hubbard R – 105 wRC+ but overall not quite ready for A ball.
393 RF
David Tovar DSL – 125 wRC+ but 35 contact keeps him in DSL.
434 CF
Juan Ramirez DSL – 69 wRC+ isn’t enough to gain promotion from DSL.
458 SS
Alejandro Estrada DSL – 100 wRC+ but 35 contact keeps him in DSL.
Arms
107 RHP
Danny Petty A+ – 151 wRC+ / 176 ERA+: Petty is promoted to AA as a two-way player.
178 RHP
Mike Hoffer R – a 159 ERA+ but 35 stuff means finishing the season in Rookie ball.
231 RHP
Josh Olaniyan R – 91 ERA+ and 35 stuff combine to see Josh finish the season in Rookie ball.
319 RHP
Lazaro Espinal A+ – out for 4 months in April so will come back to A+.
370 RHP
Marco Paz AA – 120 ERA+ across 12 starts with 10+ K/9 sees him promoted to AAA along with winning the AA Pitcher of the Month award in June.
2029 Draft
The Royals were on the clock with the 13th pick in the 2029 draft and, true to ethos, drafted a college player on the development pathway. 21-year old
Billy Mumaugh (Stetson University) is a potential plus bat across the board with an almost plus plus eye. Almost as impressive as his bat is his personality with high loyalty, adaptability, work ethic and intelligence. Likely to shift to a corner, he will start at A ball.
Beyond the first-round pick, the Royals went pitcher heavy, and in a weak college draft were forced into drafting more HS players than they would prefer.
- Round 2, Pick 15 - SP J.J. Paniagua, age 22 out of college : a stretch but 5 pitches with a 50-50-55 potential profile would play
- Round 2, Pick 29 - CF Alex Duke, age 19 out of high school : plus plus contact and plus power projections with a defence that could stick in centre.
- Round 3, Pick 12 - SP Luis Sandoval, age 18 out of high school : three projected plus pitches with projected 80 stuff alongside average control.
- Round 4, Pick 13 - SP Brad Demarest, age 18 out of high school : two projected plus plus pitches plus an average fastball with potential 80 stuff, average movement and above average control
- Round 5, Pick 13 - RP Eric Armstrong, age 18 out of high school : potential plus plus stuff and plus control behind two plus plus pitches for an already developed high schooler
Billy Mumaugh,
J.J. Paniagua and
Eric Armstrong will be joined in A ball by three college relievers, 7th round pick
Eric Cook, 8th rounder
Ramiro Cepeda, and 20th rounder
Billy Freese. 10th round collegiate catcher
Walt Day will also be in A ball while 6th round catcher
Alfredo Brambilla goes straight to A+.
The top first round picks in the draft:
- Round 1, Pick 1 - Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Jonathan Judkins, age 22 out of college
- Round 1, Pick 2 - Detroit Tigers: SP Mike Geel, age 17 out of high school
- Round 1, Pick 3 - Miami Marlins: RF Kevin Bumgarner, age 21 out of college
- Round 1, Pick 4 - Los Angeles Angels: CF Josh Grady, age 18 out of high school
- Round 1, Pick 5 - Cincinnati Reds: 3B Derward Rosas, age 20 out of college
Around the League
At the ASB the American League leaders were:
East: Baltimore Orioles (59-37)
Central: Chicago White Sox (59-38)
West: Texas Rangers (48-48)
The Red Sox (56-42), the Royals (51-47) and the Rays (49-47) were in the Wild Card spots.
Over in the National League:
East: Atlanta Braves (67-29)
Central: Chicago Cubs (57-41)
West: Colorado Rockies (56-41)
It was the Padres (56-43), the Pirates (50-46) and the Nationals (50-47) leading the Wild Card race.
Major Injuries
Pitchers
- Joey Estes BOS was injured while pitching. The Diagnosis: hamstring strain. He's expected to miss about 3 months.
- Daniel Espino CLE diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 5 months.
- Chase Dollander COL diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 4 months.
- Tristan Beck DET diagnosed with a torn meniscus, will miss 4-5 months.
- Brendan McKay LAA diagnosed with forearm inflammation, will miss 3-4 months.
- Brock Porter LAA diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 8 months.
- Dustin May LAD diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 5 months.
- Shane McClanahan SF diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 4-5 months.
- Anthony Solometo SEA diagnosed with a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 11 months.
- Drew Rasmussen STL diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 4 months.
- Jake Eder TB diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 10-11 months.
- Jaime Dean TOR diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 3 months.
- Jimmy Joyce ATL diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 13 months.
- Hunter Greene CHC diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 6 months.
- Jose Corniell CWS diagnosed with a torn back muscle, will miss 4 months.
- Tucker Davidson CLE diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 3 months.
- Cristopher Sanchez COL diagnosed with a damaged elbow ligament, will miss 10 months.
- Jordy Vargas COL diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 9-10 months.
- Nick Snyder LAA diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 9-10 months.
- Seranthony Dominguez MIA diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 12 months.
- Alex Wells MIL diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, will miss 7-8 months.
- Frank Caraballo NYM diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, will miss 7 months.
- Tyler Mahle NYY diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow, will miss 13 months.
- Michael Morales SEA diagnosed with radial nerve compression, will miss 7 months.
- Luis Perdomo STL diagnosed with a sore shoulder, will miss 4-5 months.
- Ryan Pepiot TB diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, will miss 3-4 months.
Hitters
- LF Yordan Alvarez ATL diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, will miss 8-9 months.
- RF Anthony Santander BOS diagnosed with a fractured elbow, will miss 6 months.
- CF Gavin Turley CIN diagnosed with a torn labrum, will miss 4 months.
- LF Jose Altuve HOU diagnosed with a broken kneecap, will miss 9 months.
- 3B Tristan Gray LAA diagnosed with a torn calf muscle, will miss 3-4 months.
- DH Shohei Ohtani LAD diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, will miss 5-6 months.
- CF Jackson Chourio MIL diagnosed with a torn meniscus, will miss 4 months.
- LF Vadim Lophanov NYM diagnosed with a fractured elbow, will miss 8 months.
- LF JJ Bleday OAK diagnosed with a torn back muscle, will miss 4-5 months.
- SS Colt Emerson SEA diagnosed with a torn meniscus, will miss 4 months.
Extensions
- Chicago Cubs: SP Cade Horton 4 years $176,000,000.