Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha dominated on Saturday evening as he tossed six shutout frames while striking out a season-high nine batters. He allowed just four hits and one free pass. The veteran right-hander carried a modest 3.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 9:14 BB:K ratio across his previous four starts entering Saturday, and this stellar outing will get him back on track. Through his first season as a Royal, the 33-year-old has settled in quite well with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP through 127 innings of work. Wacha is currently lined up for a difficult matchup in his next start when the Royals play host to the Philadelphia Phillies next week. Wacha is still worth starting in deeper formats, but it may be best to leave him on your bench in shallower leagues, given the elite bats in the Philadelphia lineup.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three runs scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Reds. The homer put him in the 25/25 club for the second consecutive season, and the 24-year-old has now collected at least one hit in 39 of his last 43 games dating back to June 24. The former second-overall pick has slashed .429/.476/.792 over that stretch, and if not for Aaron Judge then he would be leading the MVP race. With 40 games to go, Witt could also attain a second consecutive 30/30 season as well.

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino homered with three RBI in Friday evening's series-opening win over the hosting Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Pasquantino crushed a three-run blast off Reds right-hander Fernando Cruz to right field to extend the Royals' lead to 7-1 in the ninth inning on Friday. The streaky 26-year-old slugger is slashing a respectable .260/.314/.450 with 18 long balls, 26 doubles, and 88 RBI through 442 at-bats (118 games) as KC's everyday No. 3 batter in 2024.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will take another day off on Friday for the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. It's the second straight game sitting the bench for Garcia, with a scheduled day off on Thursday in between. It's the first time all season that he has sat in two straight games, so be on the lookout for a potential injury for Garcia. Veteran Paul DeJong is starting at the hot corner and is batting sixth for KC on Friday against Reds right-hander Nick Martinez. Garcia has been disappointing at the plate so far in August, going 10-for-45 (.222) with no homers, three doubles, three RBI and nine strikeouts in 12 games, so perhaps the Royals just want to get DeJong more playing time. DeJong, meanwhile, has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with two homers and five RBI in his first 10 games for the Royals after being acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had a productive day in his team's 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. Witt went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk in the winning effort. The star shortstop's homer in the third inning gave the Royals a 2-1 lead, a blast that traveled 398 feet with an exit velocity of 103.9 MPH. Witt has been dominant at the plate this season, hitting .349 with 24 homers, 102 runs, 89 RBI, and 25 steals over 482 at-bats, putting him in must-start territory for fantasy gamers.