{"id":2294743,"date":"2026-02-23T03:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T03:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2294743"},"modified":"2026-02-23T03:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T03:53:59","slug":"this-kc-royals-player-struggled-last-season-hes-back-with-something-to-prove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/this-kc-royals-player-struggled-last-season-hes-back-with-something-to-prove\/","title":{"rendered":"This KC Royals player struggled last season. He\u2019s back with something to prove"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Kansas City Royals infielder Michael Massey was hit with a dose of reality last season.<\/p>\n<p>Baseball will humble you quickly \u2014 if you let it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s just appraising situations in the proper way,\u201d Massey said. \u201cObviously, nobody wants to struggle. No one wants to go through hard times. But that\u2019s just the reality of this game, man, this is not an easy game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Massey, 27, posted career lows in 2025. He <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/split.fcgi?id=massemi02&amp;year=2025&amp;t=b\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:scuffled in April;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">scuffled in April<\/a> and things worsened from there. He batted a paltry .202 with a .479 OPS (on-base plus slugging) during the first half of the season.<\/p>\n<p>The end results weren\u2019t good. Massey produced just three homers and 20 RBIs in 77 games in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>And then there were the injury woes.<\/p>\n<p>Massey <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/sports\/mlb\/kansas-city-royals\/article308345930.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:suffered a left-ankle sprain;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">suffered a left-ankle sprain<\/a> early in the year He tried to play through it, but the discomfort never subsided completely. He went on the injured list in June and didn\u2019t return until August.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The injury afforded him time to think. He <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/sports\/mlb\/kansas-city-royals\/article312153280.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:began a rehab assignment;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">began a rehab assignment<\/a> with Triple-A Omaha and significantly altered his swing mechanics. The goal was to be on-time and adjust to where the pitch crossed the strike zone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a hitter, the main thing you are fighting for is timing,\u201d Massey said. \u201cSo that\u2019s really what all the mechanical changes and stance changes are based around. It\u2019s how can I give myself more time to see the ball?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Massey fared better with the Storm Chasers than he had with the Royals. He posted a .754 OPS in 25 games during a rehab stint. His batting average returned to optimal and he was spraying the ball over the field.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>That momentum carried over to the final stretch of the season, too. In September, Massey hit .378 with 17 hits in 49 plate appearances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of guys have tough years,\u201d he said, \u201cand you just keep fighting and you learn something from it. You learn from it, you move on and you kind of leave the result in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Massey is excited for a fresh start at spring training in Arizona, where the Royals played the Texas Rangers in their Cactus League opener on Friday. The Royals will utilize him in more of a hybrid role this season because of how their roster is constructed. It\u2019s expected he will see time at second base and keep working in the outfield, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<figure class=\"content-figure\">\n<div class=\"content-image\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"lightbox-btn\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"lightbox-expand\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Image Lightbox\" class=\"lightbox-overlay\" aria-modal=\"true\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<p>Royals infielder Michael Massey makes a sliding catch during a game against the White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago on Aug. 27, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He experimented with playing left field last spring. There was a learning curve to understanding route angles and throwing alleys. He feels more comfortable after another offseason of honing his craft.<\/p>\n<p>And he has drawn praise in camp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the more you do anything, the better you theoretically should be at it,\u201d Massey said. \u201cSo having a year under my belt of getting out there, getting some work in (is good). Having a full spring training of being able to get reps and kind of go back and forth is going to be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Massey said he is focused on helping the team and is willing to do whatever is needed in pursuit of a return to the postseason.<\/p>\n<p>The Royals will likely give Jonathan India extensive playing time at second base again. The club also has Isaac Collins, Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert in the mix.<\/p>\n<p>Given his defense, Massey could find time in left field \u2014 in addition to playing some second base. As a left-handed bat, he needs to be consistent in order to draw regular playing time.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The Royals will give him every opportunity this spring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think, first and foremost, it starts with your health,\u201d Massey said. \u201cThat\u2019s been a focus for me for a long time. It\u2019s just trying to take care of my body and stay as healthy as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He is seeking a return to the form he showed in 2024, when he hit .245 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a good year in \u201824 and felt like we had a good year as a team,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like I had a good year personally. And guys get smart and they make adjustments. They look at your report, pitch you different and find your holes. And last year, maybe they found some holes and I just didn\u2019t do a great job adjusting back. So hopefully, it\u2019s kind of my turn to swing back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Massey is off to a good start in 2026. He <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Royals\/status\/2024950078885298195\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:hit a two-run homer;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">hit a two-run homer<\/a> off Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi in Friday\u2019s Cactus League opener. He finished with two hits as the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Royals\/status\/2024976943813460125\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Royals beat Texas 7-3;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Royals beat Texas 7-3<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"consent\"\/>\n<p>\u201cVery encouraging,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said later. \u201cAnd from his standpoint, he puts a lot of time and thought into his at-bats and his swing. So any results early are going to be positive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A strong spring from Massey could help prime the Royals to take an important step forward in the American League Central this season.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always want to go out there and play well,\u201d Massey said. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be my fifth season in this league.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I can play. I\u2019m not really looking for the confidence to do it. I\u2019m more so looking for the physical changes to be able to go out and be more consistent than I have in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.sports.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kansas City Royals infielder Michael Massey was hit with a dose of reality last season. Baseball will humble you quickly \u2014 if you let it. \u201cI think it\u2019s just appraising situations in the proper way,\u201d Massey said. \u201cObviously, nobody wants to struggle. No one wants to go through hard times. But that\u2019s just the reality [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2294744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[22385,424369,313841,43627,313843,435327,347149,416135,307792,22091,326961],"class_list":["post-2294743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-arizona","tag-isaac-collins","tag-jonathan-india","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-michael-massey","tag-nathan-eovaldi","tag-nick-loftin","tag-spring-training","tag-texas-rangers","tag-the-royals","tag-tyler-tolbert"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/This-KC-Royals-player-struggled-last-season-Hes-back-with.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2294745,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294743\/revisions\/2294745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}