Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, including going deep for the 11th time in Friday's 6-1 win over the Red Sox. It has been a disappointing season for the 25-year-old, slashing just .196/.259/.392 so far, but in July he has shown signs of life. This month the left-handed hitter has gone 9-for-28 (.321) and has homered in three of his last four games. If he can keep it up he'd surely be an attractive fantasy asset, and he offers fantasy managers the rare C/OF position eligibility combination despite not logging a start at catcher yet this season.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans was outstanding in Friday night's victory over the hosting Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, fanning seven batters over seven innings of work in his start. Ragans allowed just one run on four hits and a walk on Friday against Boston, coming away with his sixth win of the season. The 26-year-old former first-round pick has proven to be the key coup to last season's Aroldis Chapman trade for the Royals, delivering an excellent 3.16 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 141 strikeouts and 28 walks across 20 starts (116 2/3 frames) in KC's impressive rotation this year. We'll see him next in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Arlington.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez left Friday's contest early at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox due to cramping in the eighth inning. In the Royals' 6-1 win, Perez went 1-for-3 with a single and two RBI before hitting the showers early. He was replaced by catcher Freddy Fermin. With just two more games this weekend before the league heads into the All-Star break next week, the Royals could play it safe and keep the 34-year-old All-Star catcher out for the rest of the weekend. At the very least, fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if Perez is in there. Perez made his ninth All-Star team this year and entered Friday's game in Boston with a strong .279/.343/.471 slash line with an .815 OPS, 16 home runs and 59 RBI. Despite his age, he's a must-start catcher in all fantasy leagues.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez came up big in his team's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. Perez combined to go 3-for-7 with two homers, two runs, and four RBI as the Royals swept the Cardinals in the doubleheader. The veteran catcher has been showing off his power lately as he has five homers and 14 RBI over his past 15 games. Overall, Perez is hitting .279 with 16 homers, 36 runs, and 59 RBI across 333 at-bats. Even in his age 34 season, Perez remains one of the best offensive catchers in fantasy baseball.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer was excellent Sunday, tossing seven one-run innings and picking up the win in a 10-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Singer gave up six hits and two walks while punching out seven in this one. The 27-year-old has been excellent over his past four starts, allowing one run in each of them while going at least five frames. The Royals have limited his pitch count in those outings, but fantasy managers will take that if it means he is throwing quality innings. He isn't a must-start option, but in the right matchups he should be in consideration for a lineup spot.