Kyle Isbel's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (back) will sit for the second consecutive game on Sunday as the Royals look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Isbel was not in Saturday's lineup as well after leaving Friday's game early with lower back tightness. As a result, Dairon Blanco will play center field and bat ninth. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Isbel's status before Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. Blanco has tallied only three hits and posted a poor .214 AVG in his past six games. He should be faded in DFS on Sunday afternoon as he will face Max Scherzer, who is making his 2024 debut.

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.

The Kansas City Royals believe that outfielder Kyle Isbel is their best center field option heading into the 2024 season. They are counting on power at the corner-outfield spots from MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe. Drew Waters can play all three outfield spots and could easily play into an Opening Day starting spot. While Waters has nice upside, he could benefit from more at-bats to begin the year in the minors as well. Isbel, 26, hasn't hit much so far in the big leagues, but he has an elite glove. At the very least, Isbel should find himself starting in center field for the Royals in 2024 against right-handed pitching. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can ignore him. In 313 plate appearances last year, Isbel had only five home runs and seven stolen bases.