Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic was fantastic in his first start of the season, striking out eight Brewers without giving up a run in the Royals' 11-1 win. The outing was great to see for the 27-year-old, who has spent most of the past two seasons in Kansas City's bullpen. It also was a great turnaround after a subpar Spring Training in which Bubic threw for a 5.40 ERA. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Monday's outing to be the norm for Bubic going forward as ATC projections expect him to throw for a 4.16 ERA. However, there are worse options fantasy managers could find on the waiver wire. If he's available on the waiver wire then fantasy managers should pick him up if space is available. His next scheduled start is Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, most certainly a tougher test than the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco (Achilles) was placed on the 10-day injured list due to right Achilles tendinopathy on Monday. The 31-year-old did not receive a start during their opening series against the Cleveland Guardians. Last season, Blanco appeared in just 88 contests but did provide value in category formats. During this stretch, the 31-year-old swiped an impressive 31 bags, which was the eighth-most in the AL. In the batter's box, he posted a .258/.308/.392 slash line with just four doubles and four long balls. Through the first three games of the 2025 season, Blanco already swiped two bags. In a corresponding move, the Royals promoted Tyler Tolbert from Triple-A Omaha. He is worth monitoring in deeper category formats given his elite speed upside.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel will get Monday off as the team starts a three-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Isbel started all three outings for the Royals in center field for their opening series with the Cleveland Guardians, but he'll get a breather to start the week. Maikel Garcia will slot into center field and bat ninth versus Milwaukee. The California native is 2-for-8 thus far with a double, single, two runs scored, and two strikeouts on the young season. He'll likely be back in the lineup over the next few days.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/first baseman Hunter Renfroe is not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon. Instead, MJ Melendez will shift to right field, which will open first base for Cavan Biggio. On Opening Day, Renfroe went 0-for-4 at the plate with one strikeout. Last season, Renfroe appeared in 120 games for the Royals. Across this stint, Renfroe held a .229/.297/.392 slash line with 18 doubles and 15 round-trippers. He was an elite defender in right field as he placed in the 87th percentile in arm value and 91st percentile in arm strength. However, in the batter's box, he generated an underwhelming .291 xwOBA and .223 xBA, which placed him in the 18th and 13th percentile, respectively. Given his lack of consistent production, he should only be rostered in deeper AL-only formats.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the team's Opening Day lineup on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively. Vinnie Pasquantino (hamstring) will serve as the designated hitter, while Michael Massey is at second base and Jonathan India mans the hot corner. The Royals are easing Pasquantino into the lineup as the DH to protect him after he suffered a Grade 1-plus hamstring strain last Saturday in spring training. When Pasquantino is healthy enough to return to first base duties, we should see the 25-year-old Garcia return as the regular third baseman for KC. The Venezuelan infielder had a career-high 37 steals in 157 games last year but underwhelmed with his bat (.231 average, seven home runs) and will most likely hit in the bottom third of the batting order this year with India in town.