Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals infielder Paul DeJong (face) was hit by a pitch by Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller in the sixth inning in the left side of his face in Tuesday's 3-0 win and had to leave the game early. DeJong was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power but had a cut on the left side of his face. The 31-year-old veteran will probably be put through concussion tests as a precaution, but it sounds like he may have avoided a serious injury. DeJong went 0-for-2 in the game with a strikeout before leaving and was replaced at third base by Amed Rosario. He probably won't be available to play on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but hopefully DeJong won't be forced to miss extended time. DeJong has struggled early in his first year with the Nats, as he came into Tuesday's contest with a .212 average (11-for-52) with no homers, two RBI, two steals and three runs. Check back on his status on Wednesday.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe is out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. With Renfroe starting this one on the bench, Cavan Biggio will start in right field and hit seventh against Yankees veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Renfroe started off the year as a lineup regular in right field for the Royals, but his playing time has been slipping after a slow start with the lumber. The 33-year-old veteran has gone just 5-for-39 (.128) with no home runs, a double, three RBI, four walks and 12 strikeouts in 12 games played. Renfroe hit just .229 last year but clubbed 15 home runs. The power is waning, though, and the strikeouts are piling up. Biggio hasn't been much better, hitting .217 (5-for-23) with no homers and two RBI in 11 games played. While Carrasco is a good matchup, fantasy managers setting DFS lineups can probably do better than Biggio.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his second home run of the year on Sunday, contributing to Kansas City's eventual 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Perez came to the plate in the fourth inning with Vinnie Pasquantino already on first and tagged a hanging breaker from pitcher Ben Lively for the Royals' first runs of the game. It wound up as Perez's only hit of the game. Perez went 3-for-11 with today's home run and three total RBI in the series against Cleveland. Perez was drafted as a top-five catcher, but so far he has turned in a .213 batting average and nine RBI. It is too early in the season for fantasy managers to turn their backs on one of MLB's most productive backstops. Up next for Perez is a three-game set against the Yankees, followed by four games against the Tigers.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans had his swing-and-miss stuff going during Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The left-hander was electric as he struck out 10 batters while allowing one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings in the win. Ragans has now posted three straight outings with 10 strikeouts or more. He gave up three runs in his season opener, but has allowed one run in each of his last three starts. He's a must-start fantasy option as he takes a 2.28 ERA into his next start versus the Detroit Tigers.

The Kansas City Royals placed left-hander Sam Long (elbow) on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with left-elbow inflammation and recalled left-hander Evan Sisk from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Sisk will be making his major-league debut out of the bullpen whenever he's called upon. Long has been bad in his second season with the Royals early in 2025, giving up 12 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits (two homers) while walking five and striking out six in seven relief innings. His elbow injury could be the reason why he has struggled so much, though. The 29-year-old will be sidelined for a bit after giving up three earned runs in an inning of relief in Saturday's loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Sisk, 27, had tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings with no walks and four K's in his six relief appearances for Triple-A before the promotion.