Week in Review: A Winless Week and Trending in Wrong Direction – Royals

Week in a Nutshell 

The Royals’ woes continued this week as they went winless against the Yankees at Kauffman Stadium and the Rangers in Arlington. Kansas City had only three games decided by three runs or fewer. Since beating the Detroit Tigers on May 9th, the Royals have lost 16 out of their last 19 games. That has included being swept four times (by the White Sox, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers).

For May, the Royals went 10-18, which was one win worse than a month ago. The Royals also got some rough injury news, as Maikel Garcia suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday that forced him to miss Sunday’s series finale against Texas. The Royals are hoping that it’s not a long-term ailment that will require an IL stint. 

Record this Week: 0-6

Run Differential for the Week: -34

Record for the Year: 22-37

Run Differential for the Year: -59

Standing: 4th in the AL Central

Game 54: NYY 4, KC 3

• In a national game on ESPN, the Royals got a solid performance from Michael Wacha, who went seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two. Though the Royals faced an early deficit, they came back to eventually tie the game and take the lead on a Bobby Witt Jr. solo home run in the 8th. Unfortunately, Lucas Erceg could not close out the game in the ninth, and the Yankees scored two runs and won 4-3. 

Game 55: NYY 15, KC 1 

• After the letdown of Monday’s Memorial Day game, Kansas City was absolutely thrashed on Tuesday. Bailey Falter gave up seven runs on nine hits in 2.1 IP. Luinder Avila, Steven Cruz, and Eli Morgan combined to give up six runs in 5.2 IP, and Tyler Tolbert closed it out by giving up two runs in the top of the ninth. The lone run came on a Witt solo home run.

Game 56: NYY 7, KC 0

• Gerrit Cole made his return to Kauffman Stadium and absolutely dominated, generating 10 strikeouts and allowing no runs in 6.2 IP. Noah Cameron went 5.0 IP and allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four. Nick Mears struggled, giving up three runs on two hits and one walk in 0.2 IP. Maikel Garcia was the lone Royals player with multiple hits (two). 

Game 57: TEX 9, KC 1

• The Rangers jumped on Stephen Kolek early, tagging him for four runs in the first inning. Kolek eventually gave up six runs in five innings of work. He struck out five, walked one, and allowed six hits. Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino each had two hits. MacKenzie Gore shut out the Royals in 6.2 IP. 

Game 58: TEX 7, KC 6

• The Royals seemed en route to end their losing streak, especially after Carter Jensen‘s two-run home run in the 8th inning off reliever Chris Martin. Unfortunately, Lucas Erceg was unable to close out the game, giving up three runs on five hits and failing to record a single out. Seth Lugo produced another quality start, giving up three runs in six innings of work, and Alex Lange, Daniel Lynch IV, and John Schreiber held the game in check until the ninth. Jensen had two hits, and Pasquantino and Isaac Collins also had two-hit performances.

Game 59: TEX 6, KC 3

• The series finale started very similarly to the series opener, as Wacha spotted the Rangers a four-run lead in the first inning. Wacha struggled in this one, giving up six runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out five. Rangers starter Jack Leiter dominated the Royals, striking out 10 batters in 5.2 IP. The Royals got some runs near the end, thanks to a two-run home run by Michael Massey, his fourth of the season.

News and Notes

After Falter’s disastrous outing, the Royals designated him for assignment and called up Mason Black to replace him in the Kansas City bullpen. No word has been shared yet on whether Falter has been claimed on waivers, will be outrighted to Omaha, or will elect free agency. 

After the Royals’ 7-0 loss in the series finale against the Yankees, Kansas City added Mears to the 15-Day IL due to right shoulder impingement. Eric Cerantola, who had been performing well in Omaha, replaced him on the active roster.

Lastly, before the Sunday series finale, Kansas City activated Matt Strahm from the IL. Strahm had been on the IL due to inflammation in his left knee. Strahm replaced Cerantola, who was optioned back to Omaha.

The Royals also added some depth to their Omaha bullpen by signing veteran relievers Genesis Cabrera and Dan Altavilla this week, as well as Minor League relievers Juan Cordero and Andruw Solarte. 

Highlights

Unfortunately, there were not many highlights this week for the Royals, both on the hitting and pitching ends.

On the offensive end, Witt had a .740 OPS and two home runs in 24 at-bats. However, he hit just .208 and struck out 5 times while walking only once. His home run against the Yankees on Memorial Day was a clutch moment, though it wasn’t enough for Kansas City to snap its 2+ year losing streak to the Bronx Bombers.

Pasquantino didn’t have a home run this week, but he had a solid week at the plate. In 21 at-bats, he hit .286 with a .781 OPS and had four walks to four strikeouts. Garcia hit .316 in 19 at-bats, and his six hits this week were tied with Vinnie’s for the most by a Royals player over the past seven days.

Michael Massey only had 10 at-bats, but he produced in his limited action this week. He hit .300 with a 1.033 OPS and launched his fourth home run of the season on Sunday. With Jonathan India out for the year and this offense starving for production, an effective Massey would go a long way. 

On the pitching side, Lugo’s quality start carried the Royals starters this week, as he was the only starter with an ERA under 3.50.  On the bullpen end, Lange and Schreiber each had scoreless weeks, giving up zero runs in two outings each. While neither pitcher struck out many batters (only one combined), they also walked no batters. That’s encouraging to see, especially considering their control issues earlier in the year. 

Lowlights

After going 0-6 this week, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to “lowlights,” unfortunately. 

Kolek and Wacha had rough weeks after being pretty stellar the week before. They posted ERA marks of 7.20 and 6.00 this week, and both took losses against the Rangers. Mears, Erceg, and Falter had the worst ERA marks of the bunch, posting ERAs of 40.50, 45.00, and 27.00 this week. Mears is on the IL, Falter is no longer with the Royals, and Erceg likely will be moving out of the closer’s role soon.

On the offensive end, it was a rough week for Jac Caglianone. In 21 at-bats, he hit .190 with a .451 OPS and struck out nine times and only walked twice. All four of his hits this week were singles, not exactly what Royals fans want to see from their “power” hitter.

Nick Loftin and Kyle Isbel also struggled this week, hitting .154 and .167, respectively. While Isbel had the higher batting average, Loftin’s .445 OPS was better than Isbel’s .417 mark. Both have regressed dramatically after solid starts to begin the 2026 season, and Loftin’s defense, especially at second base, has left a lot to be desired. I explored in a recent post on Royals Keep whether he and Collins should switch defensive positions. 

Salvador Perez hit a home run this week, but he only hit .143 with a .583 OPS in 21 at-bats. While Garcia hit well, he strained his hamstring on Saturday, which sidelined him on Sunday and for an undisclosed period. Thankfully, it won’t require an IL stint for now, according to manager Matt Quatraro.

The Royals have two open spots on the 40-man roster. If they decide to move Garcia to the IL, they could replace him with veteran options such as Josh Rojas, Abraham Toro, or Kevin Newman, all of whom are on the Triple-A Omaha roster. 

Looking Ahead

The Royals will turn the page on May and continue their road trip with stops in Cincinnati and Minneapolis this week.

The Reds are in last place in the NL Central, but unlike the Royals and Tigers, Cincinnati has a winning record (30-28). They have dynamic players, especially on offense, including Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart. Unfortunately for the Reds, De La Cruz was removed on Sunday with a hamstring issue, so his status is in question for the series against Kansas City. 

Luinder Avila will make the start for the Royals on Monday, with Cameron and Kolek going on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Royals will likely face Chase Burns, Andrew Abbott, and Chris Paddack. Burns has been the Reds’ best pitcher, as evidenced by his 1.96 ERA in 64.1 IP this season. 

After Cincinnati, the Royals will head up to Target Field for a four-game series against the Twins, who are currently in third place in the AL Central, ahead of the Royals and Tigers. 

The Twins have been up-and-down this year, as they have a 27-33 record. They have lost five in a row, including three straight to the Pirates in Pittsburgh over the weekend. Byron Buxton has been the catalyst for this Twins offense, as evidenced by his 142 wRC+. However, Minnesota has gotten solid production from Kody Clemens (113 wRC+), Trevor Larnach (119 wRC+), and Austin Martin (115 wRC+). 

On the pitching end, Minnesota is projected to start Marco Raya, Zebby Matthews, Joe Ryan, and Connor Prielipp. Ryan has been solid as usual with a 2.94 ERA this year, and he has a history of success against the Royals. Raya and Prielipp are less proven, and Matthews has been shaky against Kansas City in the past.

Target Field has been a tough venue for the Royals over the past couple of years. Despite Kansas City having winning records in 2024 and 2025, they went 2-5 in Minneapolis in 2024 and 2-4 in 2025.