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Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. throws for the out on Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)<\/span><\/p>\n Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Last year, the Kansas City Royals shocked the world by reaching the playoffs with an 86-76 record, then defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series. This year, they can\u2019t seem to sustain a winning streak, and are languishing in the middle of the pack with a 59-60 record.<\/p>\n They still have Bobby Witt Jr. pulling his weight as one of the best young players in the game. The 25-year-old shortstop hasn\u2019t quite reached the level of his American League MVP runner-up finish last season, but there are no complaints with his .285\/.341\/.492 batting line, 17 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and league-leading 37 doubles. His 4.8 WAR (Baseball-Reference version) is the highest on the team.<\/p>\n The trouble is that the front office never gave him enough support in the lineup. Their tepid offseason on the heels of a surprising postseason appearance failed to set up the roster for a repeat performance.<\/p>\n Kansas City\u2019s biggest lineup acquisition this winter was Jonathan India, who is hitting .236\/.321\/.339 with an 85 OPS+, indicating his offense has been 15% below the league average. They also traded for Mark Canha at the end of March, who was batting .212\/.272\/.265 with a 52 OPS+ before landing on the injured list before the All-Star break.<\/p>\n Third baseman Maikel Garcia has enjoyed a breakout year, and he joined Witt at the All-Star Game. He\u2019s hitting .303\/.363\/.474 with a 132 OPS+, 11 home runs, and 22 stolen bases. Catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino have 21 and 20 home runs respectively, albeit with less-than-stellar on-base percentages. Other than those players, no one else on the roster with more than 100 plate appearances has an OPS+ above 89.<\/p>\n The Royals tried to patch their lineup at the trade deadline. They acquired outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, utility man Adam Frazier, and platoon bat Randal Grichuk. Those players may increase their level of overall competence, but none of them are going to scare opposing pitchers.<\/p>\n The pitching staff was the main catalyst for the Royals\u2019 success last year\u2014along with Witt\u2014and they\u2019ve been solid this season as well. Rookie left-hander Noah Cameron has a 2.52 ERA in 16 starts, while veterans Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have ERAs of 3.36 and 3.46.<\/p>\n