Latest Royals injury update could provide them with much needed boost to their lineup

The Kansas City Royals have generated a bit of momentum this season after coming up victorious during in their home opening contest against the Twins.

However, any momentum that shifted them back to their .500 record has primarily come from their pitching staff, their starters in particular.

Their offense hasn’t looked much different from the uninspiring entity it was in their disappointing 2025 campaign. Through the first four games of the season, the Royals sit tied for second last in baseball with 2.25 runs per game.

However, it appears that offensive re-enforcements might soon be on the way as the Royals received a promising injury update regarding second baseman and occasional outfielder Michael Massey.

According to an official team announcement on Monday, Massey is anticipated to start a rehab assignment in Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday for the calf strain he suffered during spring training.

Is Massey the biggest game-changer to the Royals lineup? No.

However, given the fact that Massey’s second base companion in Jonathan India is underwhelming once again to start the season, with a -15 wRC+ so far, there’s already a place for him to get regular reps when he returns.

Plus, when you take into account that several names in his secondary outfield position, most notably Lane Thomas (-5 wRC+), there could very well be opportunities for some positional versatility too.

Michael Massey could help bring balance back to Royals lineup after questionable Opening Day roster choices

One of the biggest conversation topics after the Royals released their Opening Day lineup was how they addressed their utility bench roles.

Nick Loftin was an obvious choice, but Massey’s injury opened up another bench spot to which the Royals made the unpopular decision to give it to the offensively limited speed threat in Tyler Tolbert.

With the amount of underperformance at the plate so far, having one less option to turn to at the dish with Tolbert taking up a spot hasn’t made manager Matt Quatraro’s day-to-day life any easier.

However, when Massey returns, the Royals suddenly have a better option at their disposal to help uplift two very apparent areas of need to start the season.

Now, again, Massey’s not the greatest bat in the world. After all his best season of his career was back in 2024 when he posted a 104 wRC+. That being said though, after his strong showing after returning from the IL late in the 2025 season and then his 157 wRC+ output in spring training this season, Massey is riding some tangible momentum entering the new campaign.

So, even if it is just marginal, Kansas City could use all the help they can get with their offense seemingly stuck in it’s old frustrating ways.