Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (back) had to leave Friday's game early in the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers with lower-back tightness. The good news is that before leaving the contest in Texas, Isbel hit his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning of starter Nathan Eovaldi. He was replaced in center field by Garrett Hampson. The former third-round pick in 2018 out of UNLV came into Friday's contest hitting a weak .225 (42-for-187) with a .270 on-base percentage and .618 OPS with four home runs, 19 RBI, four stolen bases and 25 runs scored in 62 games in his fourth year with the Royals. Until we know about the severity of his injury, consider him day-to-day. Hampson could get more looks in KC's outfield if Isbel's injury lands him on the injured list.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. It's a bit odd to see Smith taking a seat against a left-handed starting pitcher. There was no reported injury and Smith did start in three of the four games of their series against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a routine rest day for the 29-year-old catcher. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus left-hander Patrick Sandoval.

The Kansas City Royals reinstated outfielder Hunter Renfroe (toe) from the injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Austin Nola to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Renfroe spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list while dealing with a bruised toe. The 32-year-old veteran slugger should be back in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Twins in Minnesota. Fantasy baseball managers in deeper leagues will be hoping he can pick up where he left off prior to his toe injury, as Renfroe had gone 7-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBI in six games before landing on the IL. Overall, though, Renfroe has mostly struggled in 2024, batting an even .200 (34-for-170) with only six home runs, 26 RBI and 22 runs scored for the Royals.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Chris Stratton came in for the last two outs of a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics, picking up his fourth save in the process. Stratton came in with runners at first and second with one out in the ninth and retired both A's hitters to escape the jam. Usual closer James McArthur was used to escape a jam in the seventh, so he was unavailable. Based on McArthur's recent usage, it looks like the Royals could be moving to a committee approach in their bullpen. McArthur would likely still be the most likely to get saves if that were to happen, but they would certainly be spread out more evenly and would make for a frustrating situation for fantasy managers.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was solid against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, pitching into the seventh inning and picking up his 12th quality start of the year in a 3-2 win. Lugo cruised through six innings before running into trouble in the seventh, where he allowed a two-out, two-run homer. The 34-year-old allowed six hits and three walks while striking out eight in his 6 IP. He hasn't been quite as good in June as he was in April and May, but he has still pitched at least six innings in all four June starts and has given up only two runs in two of those starts. He remains a solid pitcher for fantasy but should still be considered a sell-high, especially after a good start like this one.