Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (hamstring) was removed early during Saturday's spring training contest. Pasquantino appears to have suffered a hamstring injury while trying to beat out a double play. He was immediately favoring his right leg and walked back to the clubhouse under his own power. The Royals are going to need to further evaluate Pasquantino before giving a better timetable on his return. However, there's a decent chance that Pasquantino isn't ready for Opening Day given it's only a few days away. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update.

Infielder Garrett Hampson exercised the opt-out clause in his minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday to become a free agent, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Hampson should draw some interest on the open market before Opening Day next Thursday after he hit .289 (11-for-38) with a double, triple, seven RBI, three steals and 10 runs scored in 16 Cactus League games this spring. The 30-year-old veteran spent the first five years of his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies before playing for the Miami Marlins in 2023 and the Kansas City Royals last year. He hit .230/.275/.300 with a career-low .576 OPS, no home runs, 16 RBI, seven steals and 16 runs scored in 113 games for the Royals last season. Hampson is a career .240/.301/.362 hitter with only 29 homers, 129 RBI and 64 steals in 630 games played.

The Athletics optioned third baseman CJ Alexander to Triple-A Las Vegas. Alexander was competing for a depth role in the infield but will instead begin his 2025 campaign in the minor leagues. Last summer, Alexander made his MLB debut and tallied one hit across four games with the Kansas City Royals. Through 20 games in spring training, the 28-year-old has held an underwhelming .194/.326/.278 slash line with a 7:9 BB:K. However, Alexander performed well at the Triple-A level last season, which suggests he could be in contention to return to the big leagues early in the season. Across 94 games, Alexander posted an impressive .302/.361/.559 slash line with 27 doubles and 19 round-trippers. Fantasy managers in deeper AL-only formats should monitor his development as he could carry value if he can take the next step in the major leagues.

MLB.com's Anne Rogers writes that it appears to be shaping up as though Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic will earn the final rotation spot out of spring training behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen. It means that Daniel Lynch could open the 2025 season out of the bullpen or as a starter at Triple-A Omaha. But the fact that Lynch has come out of the bullpen in Cactus League games this week gives insight to where the Royals might be leaning. Bubic has had a strong spring and most recently struck out five in 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. He emerged as a high-leverage reliever late last year after having Tommy John surgery in 2023. His workload will surely be managed, but if he can transfer any of his strikeout stuff from last year to the rotation, he'll be useful in deep-mixed and AL-only affairs.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Kyle Wright (hamstring, shoulder) is scheduled to face live hitters for the first time in Spring Training on Thursday, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers. The former No. 5 overall pick in the MLB Draft was traded to the Royals before last season but missed the entire year after right shoulder surgery. This spring, he has been sidelined by a hamstring injury but is starting to ramp up now. The 29-year-old will not be ready for the start of the season, for sure, but could provide a boost to the Royals' rotation when he's ready. He showed upside in 2022 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 174 strikeouts in 180 1/3 innings. He has only made nine appearances over the last two seasons, though, so he'll need to prove he can stay healthy to contribute. At this point, he's possibly stash-worthy in deep AL-only leagues, but he's more just a name to keep an eye on at this point until he's ready for his season debut.