Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (hand) was lifted from Game 5 of the NLCS after taking a foul ball off his hand. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that the backstop was taken for X-rays, but the tests were negative. As a result, DFS players should expect the primary catcher to be behind the dish this evening as the Dodgers hope to clinch the series victory over the New York Mets. During the postseason, the 29-year-old has posted an underwhelming .143/.268/.229 line with one home run and four RBI. He will face a difficult matchup this evening against Mets southpaw Sean Manaea, who has held a strong 2.65 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP across 17 innings in October.

Kansas City Royals relief pitchers Hunter Harvey (back), James McArthur (elbow) and Chris Stratton (forearm) are all expected to be healthy entering spring training next February after ending 2024 on the injured list. Stratton holds a $4.5 million player option for next season. Harvey began the year with the Nationals and had a rough 6.35 ERA and 2.12 WHIP with one save in only 5 2/3 innings for the Royals before being shut down in late September. McArthur began the year as KC's primary closer but eventually lost the job and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL sprain in his right elbow in mid-September. He had a career-high 18 saves but also an ERA just under 5.00. Stratton, who has a right flexor strain, also underwhelmed in 2024 with a 5.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and four saves in 58 1/3 innings in his first year with the Royals.

Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier (thumb), who has an $8.5 million mutual option for the 2025 season (with a $2.5 million buyout), is having surgery on his right thumb this week, according to general manager J.J. Picollo. Frazier strained his thumb in June and received an injection to speed up the recovery process, but he didn't miss any time the rest of the year. Barring a setback over the winter, the 32-year-old veteran should be ready to go for the start of spring training next February. The nine-year MLB veteran will be a utility player for the Royals again in 2025 if he decides to exercise his option and return for a second season in KC. Fantasy-wise, Frazier isn't relevant in mixed leagues at this point in his career after slashing a weak .202/.282/.294 with a career-low .576 OPS in 104 games in 2024. He added only four home runs, 22 RBI and 35 runs scored.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo lasted five innings in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on just two hits, but he walked four batters and only struck out two on the way to earning a no-decision. Lugo posted a better-than-average 5.7% BB% in the regular season so it is uncharacteristic of him to lose his command. The Royals will need to win two in a row in order to extend their season, so if this is Lugo's final game pitched in 2024, it closes out a phenomenal year for the righty. The 34-year-old finished the regular season 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 15.9% K-BB%.

Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier is making the start in right field and will bat eighth for the Royals in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium against the New York Yankees and right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Although Frazier has only faced Schmidt eight times in his career, he has four hits (one homer and two doubles) off of him with three RBI, one walk and one strikeout. With Frazier in action on Wednesday, veteran Tommy Pham will start on the bench against a right-hander. DFS managers should consider Frazier a low-upside sleeper for Wednesday's slate, as the veteran hit only .202 (53-for-262) on the year with four home runs, 22 RBI and 35 runs scored for the Royals. Wednesday's start will be his first postseason action so far in 2024 with KC.