3 Royals who actually deserve to make MLB All-Star Game amid KC’s shambolic season

The Kansas City Royals 2026 season looks more and more like a lost cause every time they step on the field these days. After suffering an embarrassing 9-1 loss in Texas to open their 10-game road trip followed by a painfully narrow 7-6 defeat on Saturday, they’ve fallen to 14 games under .500 at 22-36. With underperformers littered throughout this 26-man roster, Royals fans haven’t had many names to be excited about.

But not many is not nothing, as there’s been a few names that have been worth the Royals faithful’s full attention this season. And with the 2026 MLB All-Star Game around a month and a half away, there are certainly some names that would be reasonable inclusions on the American League’s roster this season.

Last year the Royals were one of the more represented team’s at the Midsummer Classic in Atlanta, sending four names. With how this season has gone, the likelihood of them matching that is slim, but here’s three names that are crafting seasons worthy of being on the plane to Philadelphia for this year’s All-Star festivities.

Bobby Witt Jr. is a surefire All-Star bet amid MVP-caliber season

While the Kansas City Royals might be wasting one of the best seasons from Bobby Witt Jr. we’ve ever seen, making the All-Star game is an individual accolade and the star shortstop has done nothing but live up to every expectation in that regard.

ESPN recently referred to Witt as the front-runner for the American League MVP award this season and it’s no shock as to why. Witt is outpacing this entire Royals roster and the major leagues in general as he comfortably leads all of baseball with a 3.4 fWAR.

His offensive game looks as great as usual, as he’s slashing .284/.349/.472 with nine homers, 26 RBI and a 125 wRC+. His defense is as elite as ever as he leads all fielders in MLB in OAA, sits second in FRV and is just outside the top 10 in DRS – a stat in which he usually performs more average in traditionally. And the blistering speed is as strong as ever as his 16 stolen bases this year rank fourth in the league.

Perhaps third time’s the charm and Witt has finally done enough in the eyes of fan voters to earn the start at short if he were to crack his third All-Star roster.

Michael Wacha has quietly been one of American League’s best starters in 2026

Wacha has always been a veteran rock in this Royals rotation since arriving in Kansas City in 2024. However this season he’s been the one to carry this starting staff.

He’s one of just nine pitchers in all of baseball with 70 or more innings pitched this season and it hasn’t merely been quantity that’s made him special either. He holds an ERA well below 3.00 at 2.69 and pairs that with a 1.02 WHIP and .199 BAA. Speaking of quality, the 34-year-old also leads the American League in quality starts as nine of his 11 starts have fit the criteria.

The veteran right-hander hasn’t been an All-Star since 2015 back in his early days with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, with numbers like this, there’s no reason as to why he needs to extend his drought to 11 years.

Daniel Lynch IV has been an elite bullpen arm for Royals this year

The most shocking breakout candidate on this Royals roster has no doubt been Lynch, as he’s crafted a season that’s made him one of the most underrated names in the league.

While he may not have the closing pedigree that many of the most highly regarded relievers have, he’s certainly got the dominant numbers to make heads turn. Before Saturday’s loss, in 22.2 innings across 22 relief outings for Kansas City this season, Lynch was tossing to a sterling 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and .159 BAA.

For context, his ERA sat ninth amongst American League relievers, his WHIP ranked him tied for 10th and his BAA is also paced him at 10th.

And even after a bit of a rare hiccup on Saturday, where he gave up a run off two hits and a walk, his ERA still sits an impressive 1.93 and he still holds a sub-1.00 WHIP and sub-.200 BAA. His strikeout abilities are still just as elite as well, as his 29.7% K-rate sits amongst the 92rd percentile of all big league arms and his 35.1% whiff rate places him in the 95th percentile.

Not too shabby for a failed starter turned bullpen arm.