Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (leg) exited Tuesday's game against the division-rival Minnesota Twins with an apparent injury to his foot or lower leg. Pasquantino collided with Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who was trying to beat out an infield single in the third inning, and he gingerly walked off the field. Freddy Fermin came into catch, with Salvador Perez shifting over to first base to replace Pasquantino. The Royals will further evaluate Pasquantino and provide an official diagnosis sometime either during or after Tuesday's contest. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger has put together an up-and-down season, slashing a pedestrian .224/.307/.388 with five home runs, 33 RBI, and 25 runs scored over 53 games (183 at-bats) as KC's everyday No. 3 batter.

Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday afternoon. The 26-year-old injured his back on Friday night and did not play on Saturday. Nick Loftin was recalled from Triple-A Omaha as a corresponding move. It is an unfortunate injury for Massey as he was swinging a hot bat over the past two weeks. Veteran infielder Adam Frazier is starting at second base and batting sixth on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Frazier will likely see the majority of playing time against right-handed pitching while Garrett Hampson or the aforementioned Loftin could draw in against lefties. None of those options are all that attractive for fantasy purposes.

The Texas Rangers' starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen exited his Saturday start with a knee cramp. Lorenzen tried to pitch through it, but manager Bruce Bochy pulled him rather than risk further injury. Lorenzen was removed from the game in the seventh inning after pitching six innings, surrendering three hits and one earned run to go with four strikeouts. Veteran reliever David Robertson gave up three earned runs on a three-run homer to Alex Kirilloff, earning the loss in a 5-3 game.. There was no immediate word on if Lorenzen would miss any time with the knee cramp. Lorenzen is 2-3 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 37 strikeouts in 48 innings this season.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Brady Singer will aim to stay consistent when he takes on the hosting Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. The 27-year-old has allowed just one earned run in four of his last five outings and two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts on the season. Add it up and Singer has tossed a 2.70 ERA across 10 starts and 56 2/3 innings of work on the season while going 4-2 in the process. It's a nice bounceback for the righty as Singer scuffled to a 5.52 ERA and a diminished 18.9% K% in 2023. The punchouts have jumped to a healthy 26.1% clip in the 2024 campaign, the highest single-season mark of his career. The Rays have some swing and miss in their game as they sit 24th with a 24.2% K% on the season.

Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (back) is being held out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays after injuring his back on Friday night in the series opener. Massey left Friday's 8-1 win in the sixth inning with lower-back tightness and will be held out as a precaution for the second game of the series. Fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old second baseman to be day-to-day for now. The good news is that he went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run before departing. Veteran Adam Frazier is starting at the keystone on Saturday and is hitting sixth against Rays right-hander Aaron Civale. Massey is in the midst of a fine season so far, batting .294 (30-for-102) with six home runs, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored for the upstart Royals. Check back on Sunday to see if he's in the starting lineup.