Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans, who tossed two scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Athletics, has been focusing on his slider early in spring training. He averaged 96.9 mph with the 17 fastballs that he threw and topped out at 98.3 mph. Ragans wants to get back to the success he had in the second half of 2023 when he first introduced his slider. "The movement was right where we wanted it," Ragans said. "Just more so now getting it to that down and glove side [part of the plate] instead of over the plate." The 27-year-old southpaw just signed a three-year, $13.25 million extension with KC several weeks ago after he became one of the team's top starters in 2024 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 K's in 186 1/3 regular-season innings. Fantasy managers should target him as a low-end No.1/high-end No. 2 starting pitcher.

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Monday. After the session, Marsh expressed that this was his "first bullpen of the year." The 26-year-old is currently working his way back from shoulder tightness. Marsh began feeling this tightness during an offseason throwing program. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he is still slightly behind schedule. Marsh is expected to compete for a spot in the Kansas City rotation when he is cleared for action. Last season, the 26-year-old posted a 4.53 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP across 129 frames. He tallied 123 punchouts but generated a hefty 4.97 xERA. He also generated a weak 38.8 percent ground-ball rate. Marsh will compete alongside Kris Bubic for the final spot in the rotation.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco (Achilles) is dealing with Achilles tightness and is considered day-to-day. He was a late scratch from Monday's starting lineup. Instead, Joey Wiemer got the starting nod in center field. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he may miss additional time throughout the week. Last season, Blanco logged a career-high 88 games and held a .258/.308/.392 line with four doubles, four home runs, and 31 stolen bases. He placed in the 97th percentile in sprint speed but generated a weak .279 xwOBA. When healthy fantasy managers should expect Blanco to compete for a depth role in the outfield alongside Wiemer. Currently, Kyle Isbel is expected to be the team's starting center fielder.

Kansas City Royals left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic is seen as the frontrunner for the fifth starter role. During his spring debut, Bubic tossed two innings and allowed one run. He tallied two punchouts. The 27-year-old made his 2024 debut in the second half due to undergoing Tommy John early in the 2023 season. Across 30 1/3 innings, Bubic posted a 2.67 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He tallied 39 punchouts and held a strong 4.1 percent walk rate. Bubic also generated an elite 1.81 xERA and a .191 xBA, which were both well above the average marks. In addition, Bubic has worked on adding a sinker to his pitch mix during spring training in hopes of performing better against lefties. Fantasy managers should consider targeting him in deeper AL-only formats if he earns the job. This would then push Daniel Lynch IV and Alec Marsh to a long relief role.

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bowlan is expected to start the season in a relief role. Bowlan has appeared in three MLB contests over the past two seasons and has been deployed as a starter in two of them. Across five 2/3 innings in the majors, Bowlan held a 7.94 ERA with a 2.47 WHIP. Throughout his time in the minor leagues, Bowlan has alternated between both roles. Last summer, the 28-year-old appeared in 35 contests with Triple-A and started 16 of them. Across 104 total frames, Bowlan posted a 4.67 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He tallied 98 punchouts and served up 34 free passes. Given his lack of MLB experience, fantasy managers should expect Bowlan to compete for a low-leverage relief role during camp. If he continues to struggle, he would then open the season as a reliever with Triple-A.