\"A dim view of humanity\" -Lee Judge
Can I interest you in an embedded Bluesky post to set the mood? The Royals are back in action this afternoon, hosting the San Diego Padres in Surprise. They’ll face off against MLB The Show stud but real-life underperformer Matt Waldron, the last known (to me, at least) knuckleballer in MLB. Here’s the lineup they’ll […]
18 days ago | 2 reads
Jaylon Thompson writes that Michael Massey is looking to put last season behind him. “A lot of guys have tough years,” he said, “and 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.” Massey is excited for […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
As I have traditionally write my threads and recaps on Saturdays, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to write the first thread of a season before, but I’m taking over Fridays this year, too, so I am stoked to present to you the first Royals lineup of 2026! I’m a little disappointed we won’t get […]
19 days ago | 4 reads
Hope springs eternal this time of year, particularly if you’re a hitter in the hot, dry air of Arizona. The Royals typically perform pretty well in the Cactus League, which means absolutely nothing since the games don’t count. But you can be excused for getting a teensy bit excited about a player who seemed to […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
Spring is back — and so is Royals baseball. In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco dive into the excitement surrounding Kansas City Royals spring training and what fans can expect as the new season approaches. From the buzz around camp to the practical implications of updated strike […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
With the expiration date of the current competitive bargaining agreement between the Major League Baseball Players Association and the owners looming over the end of the season like a supermoon in the sky, you can be assured that there will be lots of digital ink spilled all year long about the key negotiating issues. This […]
19 days ago | 1 read
The Royals announced they have signed former All-Star catcher Elias Díaz to a minor league deal. Díaz spent 106 games with the Padres last year and hit .204/.270/.337 with nine home runs. The Venezuelan-born Díaz began his career with the Pirates in 2015, but was non-tendered after the 2019 season. He signed on with the […]
19 days ago | 3 reads
Spring Training games start today! Like, real baseball games (that don’t count in the standings)! In yesterday’s Rumblings, Max posted that Stephen Kolek would start today’s game against the Rangers. Jaylon Thompson wrote an entire story about it for The Star: “I’m excited for it,” Kolek said. “It’s a great honor to be the first […]
20 days ago | 3 reads
The Royals have had a full squad working out all week and tomorrow they’ll begin their first exhibition matchups. Spring training performances can be difficult to judge. Many players are working on new pitches, new swings, and with new teammates. The thin, dry air of Arizona is not like the environment players will play in […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
Last week, Royals Review Editor-in-ChLast week, Royals Review Editor-in-Chief Max Rieper asked us to highlight a minor leaguer to watch this spring. I immediately volunteered to write about a guy with a fantastic name who has been racing through the Royals’ system: Carson Roccaforte. Roccaforte was drafted by KC in the 2023 Competitive Balance B […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
At the end of January, I wrote an article about the Kansas City Royals potentially moving a starting pitcher for prospects. The Royals have enviable depth, and I think there are six guys – Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, and Ryan Bergert – who really should be in an MLB […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
Jaylon Thompson wrote about the first full-squad workout on Monday. The Royals expect most of the spring competition to be reserve roles. The starting lineup is pretty much set with Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez leading the way. “I mean, without naming names, it’s very obvious who some of the […]
21 days ago | 1 read
The Kansas City Royals were on the brink of making the playoffs last season, they were in it until the final week of the season, despite the myriad of starting pitching injuries and hitters underperforming. Things like that happen in baseball, everything doesn’t work out the way you want or plan for them to go. […]
21 days ago | 1 read
The abrupt resignation of MLBPA chief Tony Clark this week over an embarrassing affair with his sister-in-law, who was hired by the union, brings greater uncertainty to future labor negotiations between the unions and owners as the labor deal expires at the end of the baseball season. Many observers are girding for a divisive standoff […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
With apologies to Steve Busby, Paul Splittorff, and 1972 Roger Nelson, the first true ace of the Kansas City Royals was a Brooklyn, New York native named Dennis Leonard. After graduating from high school, Leonard walked onto the baseball team at Iona University, a small Catholic (4,000 students) college located just north of the Bronx. […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
MLB.com’s Anne Rogers talks with new Royals assistant hitting coach Connor Dawson. A 2012 graduate of Olathe North High School in Kansas, Dawson grew up about 25 miles southwest of Kauffman Stadium. He played collegiately at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, but he set his sights on coaching early. He coached the Kansas […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
We all have regrets. That includes baseball teams like the Royals, who have the moves that didn’t pan out, the moments that didn’t go their way, the pivotal decisions that could have worked out differently. Time travel stories and alternate histories are some of my favorite genres of fiction. What if a man decides to […]
22 days ago | 1 read
The Royals will spend the next few weeks shaping the roster that they will carry to Atlanta for the season opener. One large factor in deciding who makes the team will be which players have options remaining. Options allow teams to send a player to the minors without exposing them to be claimed by another […]
22 days ago | 1 read
It’s the first week of spring training, pitchers are climbing back onto the mound, hitters are getting their first swings in, and optimism is in the air. And yet, for fans of the Royals, there’s still that lingering feeling that something is missing. All winter long, the expectation has been that the front office would […]
22 days ago | 2 reads
Quinton Lucas gave a State of the City address and noted his desire to keep the Royals in KCMO. John Sherman had some comments. Word got back to Royals owner John Sherman. On Monday, Sherman addressed Lucas’ speech and offered his takeaway. “I appreciate him wanting to do that,” Sherman said. “And I appreciate that […]
23 days ago | 1 read
The Royals had made moves to contend in 2014, but still, their postseason run had a “we’re just happy to be here” feel, where every day the team was playing with house money. They parlayed that attitude into a pennant, falling just short of winning one of the most improbable championships in modern baseball history. […]
23 days ago | 1 read
At this time of year, I tend to start thinking through what my expectations are for the coming season. Having a base model in my head helps me avoid overreacting to early-season noise. Part of that process includes looking at the AL Central, the main competition the Royals need to beat to reach the playoffs. […]
23 days ago | 1 read
In this special Spring 2026 preview episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco sit down with Kansas City Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how the organization is building its staff for the upcoming season. Sweeney walks us through his daily routine during spring training — […]
23 days ago | 0 reads
It’s Friday morning as I write this, and for some reason, the boys are home, the first day of a four-day weekend. Such as it is, we had a movie night last night, and it was my turn* to pick out the film. As I’m impatiently awaiting the start of baseball, in any shape or […]
23 days ago | 0 reads
Jalon Thompson talks to Kris Bubic as he ramps back up after an injury ended his season last year. Bubic faced several hitters during the live batting practice. He showcased his pitching arsenal and had a few minor self-critiques. Overall, he felt his fastball command was there and that his changeup could’ve been a little […]
24 days ago | 0 reads