Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin had a huge day on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. Fermin had Mitch Spence's number in this one, tagging him for homers in the second and fourth innings. The 29-year-old is actually putting together a pretty solid season, slashing .303/.352/.447 with four homers in 132 at-bats. The Royals have also been playing Fermin more lately, even opting to DH him today. If he can get consistent playing time he could be worth a look in two catcher leagues.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans went six innings in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Athletics, allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven. It was Ragans' fourth straight quality start and seventh consecutive start in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the good pitching hasn't translated to wins, as the southpaw hasn't recorded a victory since May 22. Still, the 26-year-old has a strong 3.13 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and the third-most strikeouts in all of baseball with 109 over 92 innings pitched. Ragans will get a favorable matchup in his next start, which lines up with the Miami Marlins at home next Monday.

Kansas City Royals second baseman Nick Loftin went 1-for-3 with a homer, a walk, and three RBI in a 7-5 loss to the Oakland A's on Tuesday. Loftin launched a two-run homer off Oakland starter Hogan Harris in the second inning, a blast that traveled 394 feet and had an exit velocity of 102.5 MPH. The homer was the first in 141 career at-bats for Loftin. The 25-year-old is now hitting .253 with one homer, 13 runs, and 12 RBI across 79 at-bats for the Royals in 2024. Loftin will need to show a lot more at the plate to be considered worthy of a roster spot in fantasy leagues.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez turned in a big performance in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam to power the Royals to the win over LA. The veteran blew open the game in the seventh inning when he deposited a ball over the wall in right field to clear the bases and put KC up 5-2. Melendez worked a 12-pitch at-bat before ripping his first career grand slam, a shot that traveled 395 feet and had an exit velocity of 103.2 MPH. It has been a rough go for the veteran this season as he is now hitting .168 with eight homers, 19 runs, 23 RBI, and two steals across 196 at-bats in 2024. Hopefully the big night on Saturday will get his season turned around.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (knee) left Friday night's game against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers with discomfort in his right knee. Before the team removed him from the contest, Perez hammered a three-run home run to left field off Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone to give the Royals a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of Friday's loss. He'll be further evaluated ahead of Saturday's showdown in LA, and fantasy managers should deem the veteran slugging backstop day-to-day for now. The 34-year-old Perez has been as good as ever in 2024, slashing a robust .297/.375/.490 with 11 homers, 15 doubles, and 45 RBI covering 249 at-bats (66 games) as KC's everyday cleanup hitter. Freddy Fermin would be worth a look in two-catcher formats if Perez needs to miss more action, batting .294 (35-for-119) over 41 outings this season, and corner outfielder MJ Melendez could also see some work behind the plate in this case.