{"id":2432060,"date":"2026-05-26T02:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T02:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2432060"},"modified":"2026-05-26T02:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T02:13:24","slug":"yankees-vs-royals-prediction-picks-best-bets-for-todays-mlb-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/yankees-vs-royals-prediction-picks-best-bets-for-todays-mlb-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees vs Royals Prediction, Picks &#038; Best Bets for Today&#8217;s MLB Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"mainContainer\">\n<div class=\"covers-Container-mainTop\">\n<div class=\"covers-ArticleModern-authorSection\">\n<div class=\"authorContainer\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div class=\"clipped-shape\">\n                           \n                        <\/div>\n<p>                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"covers-mini-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/covers\/icons\/global-icons\/covers-c-new.svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n                    <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>\n            Updated:<br \/>\nMay 25, 2026 , 02:04 PM ET<\/p>\n<p>                <span>\u2022 4 min read<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"covers-Articlemodern-cutLine\">Will Warren outduels Michael Wacha on Memorial Day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <button id=\"picksCardDisplayBtn\" data-linkcont=\"Articles - Picks Card - Displayed - yankees-vs-royals-prediction-picks-odds-monday-5-25-2026\" hidden=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"covers-CoversArticles-mainImg\">\n<picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=752&amp;h=423&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"752\" height=\"423\"><source media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=640&amp;h=360&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><source media=\"(min-width: 576px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=720&amp;h=405&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\"><source media=\"(min-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=528&amp;h=297&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"528\" height=\"297\"><source media=\"(min-width: 400px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=464&amp;h=261&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"464\" height=\"261\"><source media=\"(min-width: 300px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=352&amp;h=198&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"352\" height=\"198\"><source media=\"(min-width: 64.5px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=256&amp;h=144&amp;ar=16:9&amp;fit=crop&amp;auto=compress,format\" width=\"256\" height=\"144\"><img src=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/eb23fc71-a0e3-42ed-8955-ec59425fdfca.jpg?w=64&amp;h=64&amp;ar=1:1&amp;fit=crop\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" alt=\"Will Warren New York Yankees MLB\" fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n            <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Photo By &#8211; Reuters Connect. New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (29) throws during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"covers-CoversArticles-articleText cmg_editorial_article_text\">\n<p>The New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals get together for an early-week series starting this afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>This series has intrigue, and this pitching matchup between two arms that have overperformed their underlying metrics is no exception.<\/p>\n<p>My <strong>Yankees vs. Royals predictions<\/strong> see the Bombers getting the best of the hosts in this spot.\u00a0Read all about it in my <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.covers.com\/picks\/mlb\">MLB picks<\/a> for Monday, May 25, and don&#8217;t miss first pitch at 3:40 p.m. ET on ESPN.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ML\/RL_Pick\">Who will win Yankees vs Royals today: Yankees moneyline (-140)<\/h2>\n<p><span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.covers.com\/sport\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/main\/kansas-city-royals\/odds\">Kansas City Royals<\/a> arm <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.covers.com\/sport\/baseball\/mlb\/players\/12534\/michael-wacha\">Michael Wacha<\/a> is the perfect example of &#8220;does nothing great but does mostly everything well.&#8221; That&#8217;s typically a good quality for a starter, but it&#8217;s also why his <strong>expected ERA sits over a full run<\/strong> higher than his actual mark, screaming negative regression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A below-average <strong>barrel rate (8.2%) and hard-hit rate (39%) <\/strong>are troubling against the team that <strong>ranks first <\/strong>in baseball in both categories. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>When these two met in the Bronx in April, two of the three hardest-hit balls by\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.covers.com\/sport\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/main\/new-york-yankees\/odds\">New York Yankees<\/a> hitters came off Wacha and resulted in unlucky line-outs. Play to -170.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=covers.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"googleLink border-0 bg-lighter rounded-2 py-2 px-3 d-flex gap-2 justify-content-between align-items-center mb-5\" data-linkcont=\"Article-Google-Preferences-Click\"><span class=\"small\"><b>Enjoying Covers content?<\/b> Add us as a preferred source on your Google account<\/span> <picture><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/editorial\/2025\/google-preferred-source-badge.png?w=1270&amp;auto=compress&amp;auto=format\" width=\"127\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/editorial\/2025\/google-preferred-source-badge.png?w=102&amp;auto=compress&amp;auto=format\" width=\"102\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/editorial\/2025\/google-preferred-source-badge.png?w=102&amp;auto=compress&amp;auto=format\" width=\"102\" height=\"36\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"Over\/Under_Pick\">Yankees vs Royals Over\/Under pick: Under 9 (-110)<\/h2>\n<p>This is a touch high.<\/p>\n<p><span>I haven&#8217;t been thrilled about backing Warren this year, but his <strong>86th-percentile strikeout rate<\/strong> should play well here against a Royals lineup with limited barrel threats. This means Warren should generate plenty of swing-and-miss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While I like the Yankees to get after Wacha, the story of the season so far for New York is at play here: There&#8217;s still a good amount of easy outs at the bottom of the Yankees lineup. I made the total 8.7; this is not a huge edge but playable nonetheless.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 100%; background-color: #ffffff; border: 3px solid #fe4d09; padding: 5px; border-radius: 10px; margin: 15px auto; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;\">\n<p><strong>Chris Hatfield&#8217;s 2026 Transparency Record<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-bottom: 0; padding-bottom: 0;\">\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 0.85rem;\"><em><strong>ML\/RL bets<\/strong>: 21-19, +1.56 units<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left; margin-bottom: 5px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 0.85rem;\"><em><strong>Over\/Under bets<\/strong>: 25-15, +12.34 units<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Yankees vs Royals odds<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Moneyline<\/strong>: Yankees -145 | Royals +118\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Run line<\/strong>: Yankees -1.5 | Royals +1.5\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Over\/Under<\/strong>: Over 9 | Under 9\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Yankees vs Royals trend<\/h2>\n<p>The Yankees have won all 10 of their last 10 head-to-head matchups with Kansas City, covering the -1.5 run line in all but two of those meetings. Find more <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.covers.com\/sport\/baseball\/mlb\/matchup\/369482\/picks#trends\">MLB betting trends<\/a> for Yankees vs. Royals.<\/p>\n<h2>How to watch Yankees vs Royals and game info<\/h2>\n<div style=\"may 25: auto;\">\n<table class=\"Covers-CoversArticles-AdminArticleTable\" style=\"height: 202.938px; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 26px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Location<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 26.3125px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Date<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">Monday, May 25, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 26.3125px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>First pitch<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">3:40 p.m. ET<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 26.3125px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>TV<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">ESPN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 49px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Yankees starting pitcher<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">Will Warren<br \/>(6-1, 3.61 ERA)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 49px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\"><strong>Royals starting pitcher<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50%;\">Michael Wacha<br \/>(4-2, 2.70 ERA)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Yankees vs Royals latest injuries<\/h3>\n<h3>Yankees vs Royals weather<\/h3>\n<div class=\"covers-CoversArticleComps-proTip\">\n<p><em>Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.<br \/>Not intended for use in MA.<br \/><strong>Affiliate Disclosure<\/strong>: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"covers-interlinking-h2\" style=\"margin-top: 32px;\">Pages related to this topic<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 covers-authorSection\">\n<div class=\"authorContainer\">\n<div>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Chris Hatfield - Covers.com\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/img.covers.com\/cms\/covers\/ea95f67d-2967-4bf9-a932-5aef39145aff.jpg?w=40&amp;auto=compress&amp;auto=format\"\/>\n                    <\/div><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:0;\" class=\"covers-u-NewP writersPage-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"LineLimiter LL-large\">\n<p>Chris has always had a passion for three things: solving problems, sports, and writing. It\u2019s no wonder then that he found himself attracted to the sports betting industry. You can find Chris betting every day. Whether it\u2019s shot prop markets in Champions League Soccer qualifiers or NBA Summer League, he has no offseason. As an EV+ bettor, he especially values the insight gained through a data-driven approach.<\/p>\n<p>His work has been featured on various websites such as SBNation, Rivals, Bleacher Report, and 247Sports. He has appeared on radio outlets such as ESPN 680 and The Sharp 600 podcast. You can listen to his own podcast, \u201cWhat High School Did You Go To?\u201d on Apple Podcast and Soundcloud.<\/p>\n<p>Chris has carved out a niche as a college basketball originator with massive profitability success in that sport and stresses one piece of advice to sports bettors: exploit edges as broadly as possible and take advantage of them while they last. His preferred sportsbook is bet365 because of the range of markets you can find.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"toggleReadMore\" onclick=\"toggleReadMore(this)\">Read More<\/button><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/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 www.covers.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated: May 25, 2026 , 02:04 PM ET \u2022 4 min read Will Warren outduels Michael Wacha on Memorial Day. Photo By &#8211; Reuters Connect. New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (29) throws during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles. The New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals get together for an early-week series [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2432061,"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":[],"class_list":["post-2432060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Yankees-vs-Royals-Prediction-Picks-Best-Bets-for-Todays.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432060","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=2432060"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432062,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432060\/revisions\/2432062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2432060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}