Although baseball is a team sport, it will always include those games within the game that ultimately determine who wins and who loses. After all, individual performances can make or break a team and be the difference between a lowly basement dweller and a postseason contender.
For the Royals, a handful of players have struggled to provide any real positive value for the team throughout the first half of the 2026 season. In fact, their performances have been directly holding back the team and exacerbating an already frustrating year, turning them into a team that most expect to become sellers at the trade deadline.
From a fan favorite like Salvador Perez to a once-trusted bullpen stalwart like Lucas Erceg, the team has been let down by players who have just not been able to figure things out. Players who were penciled in as leaders on the field that should be capable of guiding the fledgling contenders back to the postseason.
Perez may be an all-time great Royals player, but he’s been dreadful in 2026
At 36 years old, Perez was expected to show signs of regression at the plate. Add in the fact that he has been a catcher for the majority of his career, which will take a toll on anyone. But Perez has been shockingly bad in 2026. Just one year after posting a 30 HR season, Perez looks like he’ll be lucky to scratch 20 this year.
Through 75 games, Perez is stuck with a wRC+ of just 55, nearly half of his career average of 100. And his struggles are not from a lack of contact either. His K% in 2026 has remained consistent with his previous seasons, hovering around 20 percent. His biggest flaw actually comes from the fact that he is simply not hitting the ball hard at all. It’s almost as if someone has swapped his bat with a soggy newspaper.
Perez currently has an average exit velocity of 88.8 MPH, a far cry from his 93 MPH average exit velocity during his peak in 2021. Now, five years can make a world of difference for a player in his 30s, but Perez has taken that unfortunate fact to a whole new level. With an OPS of .582, he ranks as the second worst qualified hitter in all of baseball this season.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for a player who has done so much for a single franchise and for the game of baseball, but Perez was just one year too late at ending his career on a high note. For now, he’s become a black hole in the lineup and one of the biggest reasons the Royals continue to struggle in 2026.
Matt Strahm’s performance is leaving the Royals with buyer’s remorse
Back in December 2025, the Royals acquired Strahm for Jonathan Bowlan in a reliever swap with the Philadelphia Phillies. The move appeared to bolster the team’s bullpen and add a trusted arm that offered versatility. Through 26 games in 2026, the Royals have not received that kind of arm. Strahm has looked awful this season, boasting a 6.20 ERA and allowing eight home runs in just 24.2 innings.
On the flipside of the trade, Bowlan has looked fairly effective for the Phillies. In 23 games, the RHP has posted a 1.06 WHIP and K/9 of 9.89. While not All-Star worthy numbers, they certainly look much more appealing than Strahm’s at this point in the season.
At the time of the trade, the Royals knew exactly what they were getting and why they pulled the trigger. Strahm has been a very solid reliever over the last 10 years, becoming one of the most dependable arms in the league. For the Royals, they instead have a pitcher sporting a -0.9 fWAR and showing no signs of being able to right the ship.
For a team desperate for pitching help, Strahm should have been someone that anchored the bullpen. In reality, he’s become one of the biggest reasons for their ongoing problem.
Lucas Erceg played the largest role in setting the poor early tone
Despite the Royals’ obvious flaws, the team could very easily be in a much better position to compete for a Wild Card position as we approach July. Through June 24, Erceg has blown six saves. And unsurprisingly, each of those blown saves eventually led to the Royals losing the game.
If you hypothetically flip those six losses into wins, the team suddenly starts to look like buyers at the trade deadline. At 40-41, the Royals would be just ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for the third Wild Card spot. And the injuries to Kris Bubic and Cole Ragans would look much more palatable as the team awaits their return. Instead, Kansas City fans are left hoping on some second half magic to spark the team.
The reason behind Erceg’s struggles are pretty easy to spot. His control has greatly impacted his ability to pitch effectively. With a BB/9 of 5.76, the hard-throwing righty has struggled mightily with surrendering free passes. And in late game situations, the last thing you want are free baserunners.
To his credit, Erceg has looked marginally better in June, allowing just two earned runs in 8.1 innings. However, his walk rate remains one of his worst attributes and a large reason why it will be tough for fans to ever trust him in the closer role moving forward, especially after the emergence of Alex Lange.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source kingsofkauffman.com ’
