Well, that hope has not been building as one would expect. A 34-48 record currently slots the Royals at the bottom of the AL Central. They are 22nd in wRC+ and home runs, 18th in runs scored, and 19th in OPS. An offense that is not completely floundering, but would need a a top third pitching staff to lift them.
Bad news: the Royals pitching staff is not in the top third of the league. The rank in the 20s for most pitching categories leaving the team as a whole around the bottom third of the league. A group they have been familiar with more times than not.
As the calendar approaches July, I think it is safe to say the season has been a disappointment and more likely than not will end in disappointment. Each year is another data point, more information, more proof, and for the Royals, there are more questions than answers moving forward.
Questions Surrounding the Royals Future
What I am about to say is not meant to be a negative bashing of this team or disbelief in what they could become. They are simply questions that vary in level of concern from person to person. However, I do think it is fair to pinpoint these as something to monitor into the future.
To me, the biggest concern has been the step back that Garcia and Pasquantino have taken in 2026. After both posting career years in 2025, Garcia as reverted back to a under 100 wRC+ after posting a 121 wRC+ in 2025 and Pasquantino (81 wRC+) sits comfortable below 100 for the first time in his career.
The Royals offense does not have the depth to allow for two of their better hitters to stump to this extent. Nick Loftin has been a fun surprise but outside of the top three of Jensen, Witt, and Caglianone, the Royals are mostly made up of below-average hitters. Salvador Perez, unfortunately, looks like nothing is left in the tank making the need for Pasquantino and Garcia to perform that much more important.
Are these players just in a slump or are they showing their true limitations?
Garcia’s defense and speed make stomaching the dip easier. For Pasquantino, if he’s not hitting he’s a problem. Launching 32 home runs last year looked like a breakout but the seasons bordering 2025 have been underwhelming and filled with injuries. In fact, both Pasquantino and Garcia are currently on the injured list which brings me to my next concern.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.justbaseball.com ’
