Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (back) is expected to start the season on the injured list due to lower back tightness. Massey has been sidelined since Tuesday due to back tightness. He will likely miss the start of the season and could return sometime in mid-April. The 26-year-old slashed .229/.274/.381 with 15 home runs, 55 RBI, 42 runs scored, and six stolen bases over 129 games in 2023. Adam Frazier and utilityman Nick Loftin should see extra playing time at second base with Massey sidelined. Despite receiving an uptick in at-bats, Frazier is mainly an option in deep-league formats heading into 2024 drafts.

Kansas City Royals outfielderHunter Renfroe went 1-for-3 with a walk and hit his first home run of spring training on Friday in an 11-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. The home run was a welcome development for the 32-year-old veteran, who's having a very underwhelming spring after dealing with lower back tightness in February. He's hitting .179 with a .589 OPS in 28 AB this spring. He'll look to improve on a subpar 2023 season, and ATC projects a .244/.306/.437 slash line with 20 HR and 62 RBI. With an ADP of 232.3, Renfroe will likely only be a depth option for managers and is a starting option in deep-league and AL-Only formats.

Texas Rangers right-hander Michael Lorenzen said that he will begin the year in the team's starting rotation despite signing a one-year, $4.5 million deal this week. Lorenzen threw 70 pitches in a session on Monday, so he's pretty stretched out, but you can't ignore the fact that he hasn't been facing live hitters at all this spring. With Lorenzen joining the club as a starter, Cody Bradford will presumably be moved to the bullpen or open the 2024 season at Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Lorenzen was a first-time All-Star in 2023 and threw a no-hitter after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, but he had an ERA over 5.00 in 11 appearances for the Phils and was demoted to the bullpen late in the year. Fantasy managers may want to expect more regression from a pitcher that doesn't strike out many batters.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has been having a tremendous Cactus League this spring. The talented 23-year-old is coming off a strong season that saw him hit .276 with 30 homers, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases. This spring, he's picked up where he left off and has hit .372 with three homers, eight RBI and a stolen base in 43 at-bats. Witt enters this season as one of the most talented players both in real life and for fantasy purposes with his all-around skills. Still entering the prime of his career, Witt should make managers giddy over all he can do and is absolutely worth snagging as one of the first picks in upcoming drafts.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh has been named the team's fifth starter to open the 2024 season, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Right-hander Jordan Lyles will begin the season in the bullpen. We reported on Wednesday that Marsh was the favorite for the No. 5 spot, and now it's official. The 25-year-old earned the final rotation spot for KC this spring by recording a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, four walks and 17 strikeouts in 14 Cactus League innings. Marsh struck out 85 hitters in 74 1/3 innings in his rookie season last year for the Royals, but he also walked 39 in 17 appearances (eight starts) and allowed 50 runs (47 earned). Right now, he's only an option for strikeouts in AL-only leagues. Marsh will need to improve his control to become a legitimate streaming option in mixed formats.