Royals need to capitalize on this player’s blistering hot stretch while it lasts

As the Kansas City Royals continue their attempt to climb the standings in the AL Wild Card picture, they’ve started to see some improvements in the offense department.

Since the All-Star break, the Royals have seem to turn the tide on their brutal first-half performance as a team at the dish.

Since the All-Star break ended (July 18), Kansas City has been in the top half of the league offensively, ranking ninth in in MLB in OPS at .750, tied for sixth in runs scored and 14th in in wRC+ at 103.

It’s nothing earth shattering by any means but it’s night and day from their first-half output. Up until the All-Star break, the Royals sat in the bottom five in the league in runs scored, OPS and wRC+.

One of the big reasons behind the sudden switch in performance level has been how this team has received support beyond their key names in the heart of the order, in Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia.

In fact, it’s come from top to bottom, with their nine-hole hitter in particular coming through in recent weeks. This of course is Kyle Isbel, who’s not known for his bat, but has certainly more than held his own the plate of late.

Kyle Isbel has on an incredible offensive stretch in the Royals’ second-half

Isbel is probably at the top of Royals fans’ good books at the moment, after his go-ahead sixth inning blast in the Royals 7-4 victory of the Nationals being the difference in getting KC back in the win column on Monday.

And Monday was just a small representation of how strong Isbel has been in the season’s second-half. Since the All-Star break, Isbel is slashing .333/.391/.460 with a homer, 10 RBI, just a 15.3% K-rate and a 137 wRC+.

Now, as great as this stretch has been for Isbel, his track record of being a below average hitter throughout his career works against his torrid stretch and brings things back into reality.

For the 2025 season, Isbel is still just an 83 wRC+ and a .680 OPS hitter. Then over his career, other than his 83 plate appearances in his debut season in 2021 – where he posted a 107 wRC+ and .772 OPS – Isbel has struggled to even come close to being an above average bat. His current 83 wRC+ and .680 OPS are actually on pace to be the highest of his career.

This is why, over a pretty favorable stretch in the schedule with this current homestand, the Royals need to capitalize on this bottom of the order production, especially when it’s been paired with some better performances from struggling bats like Jonathan India, who’s heating after moving down in the order, as well as excellent play from new arrivals like Mike Yastrzemski.

Isbel will look to make it nine out of 10 games he’s hit safely in when the Royals play game two of their midweek series against Washington on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. CT.