The Kansas City Royals still have shot at reaching the postseason as the month of September finally gets underway. They are three games back in the American League Wild Card race after dropping two out of three games to the Detroit Tigers in a crucial series. They shouldn’t be counted out as September begins, especially after reaching the postseason in 2024.
Last year, they won 86 games and were the second AL Wild Card team. They swept the Baltimore Orioles in the first round before ultimately losing the ALDS to the eventual pennant-winning New York Yankees.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently listed all contending teams and their most likely path to the postseason. For the Royals, it was to sneak into a Wild Card spot and play the role of an underdog.
“Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals don’t have the same sneaky World Series contender energy they had a year ago, but they are still within striking distance of the final wild-card spot in the American League.
If the Royals are able to knock any of the Yankees, Red Sox or Seattle Mariners out of the postseason and claim a wild-card spot, they’ll be an interesting team in the playoffs,” Kelly wrote.
“Admittedly, the Royals feel like a longshot to get into the playoffs and make a run. But they are close enough that they still deserve a mention.”
The key for the Royals will be the health of their starting rotation. They improved their offense at the trade deadline, but Cole Ragans has been injured for much of the season and Seth Lugo has struggled as of late.
However, if the rotation can get healthy, it can be one of the top starting rotations in Major League Baseball. It was considered their biggest strength heading into the 2025 season. The Royals have a tough stretch in September with the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays from September 12-21, but they aren’t out of the mix yet.
They do have the Texas Rangers standing in the way now, but it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see the Royals actually find a way into the postseason and make some noise as a Wild Card team.
It will be interesting to see what they can do down the stretch.
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