Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles in Wednesday's 2-1 series-clinching win over the Orioles. The second of the singles was a grounder up the middle in the sixth inning that he was able to beat out, which scored the go-ahead run and would prove to be the eventual game-winning RBI. The 24-year-old finishes the two-game series 3-for-9 with a pair of RBI and will look to continue his MVP-caliber season in the next round against the Yankees. Gerrit Cole will start Game 1 for New York, whom Witt Jr. has gone 2-for-6 off of in his career.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf) was pulled from his start early on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Game 1 of the wild-card series with left-calf cramps. Ragans said his leg cramped up with two batters left in his final inning and could have gone back out. He will be ready to go in the ALDS against the New York Yankees if the Royals advance past the Orioles this week. Before departing, Ragans threw six shutout innings with four hits allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts to pick up the victory in the eventual 1-0 win. The 26-year-old southpaw was on his game on Tuesday and will now hope to pitch again versus the Yankees at some point next week. The former 30th overall pick of the Texas Rangers in 2016 was a first-time All-Star in 2024 and went 11-9 during 32 regular-season starts (186 1/3 innings) with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a career-high 223 strikeouts as KC's ace.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. With Renfroe riding pine, the Royals will roll with Tommy Pham in right field, and he will hit seventh against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. Renfroe's playing time in the postseason might be more spotty now that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) is back from the injured list to take over designated hitter duties, at least for the wild-card series. If the 32-year-old Renfroe does get into a game at any point during the series in Baltimore, it will likely come against a left-handed pitcher. In his first year with the Royals in 2024, Renfroe hit just .229/.297/.392 with a below-average .689 OPS, 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 120 games played. In 23 games with KC, Pham went 23-for-101 (.228) with two homers and eight RBI.

Not only was Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) included on the team's playoff roster for the wild-card series this week, but he's serving as the designated hitter and batting third in Game 1 on Tuesday versus the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Corbin Burnes at Camden Yards. Pasquantino was activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday after recovering from a fractured right thumb that required surgery in early September. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger healed rapidly to give him a shot to contribute for the up-and-coming Royals in October. However, given the layoff and the nature of his injury, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Pasquantino struggle at the plate upon his return. Yuli Gurriel is starting at first base and is batting fifth against Burnes. Pasquantino hit .262 on the year with 19 homers and 97 RBI in his 496 at-bats for KC.

The Kansas City Royals are hoping that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) will be on their playoff roster for the wild-card series against the Baltimore Orioles that begins on Tuesday at Camden Yards. Manager Matt Quatraro said that Pasquantino was going to test his fractured right thumb by hitting in the cages on Monday to see if he'll be included on the wild-card roster on Tuesday. If the 26-year-old left-handed slugger is included on the roster this week, he will only be used as a designated hitter and won't play on defense. Pasquantino needed surgery on his thumb earlier this month but has apparently made very good progress to give himself a shot to be available for the postseason. He'd provide the Royals with a power boost in the lineup, but it also remains to been how effective he'll be swinging the bat if he's available. The Royals used catcher Salvador Perez often at first base with Pasquantino injured, leaving Freddy Fermin to do the catching.