Kansas City Royals Roster
- AL Central
- Stadium
- Kauffman Stadium
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Fantasy managers don't have anything to worry about as this appears to be a routine rest day for Smith. In his absence, Austin Barnes will handle behind the plate and bat ninth on Sunday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option considering Barnes isn't known for his ability with the bat.
Kansas City Royals closer James McArthur picked up his 11th save of the season in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Oakland A's. Despite allowing two hits, McArthur fanned two batters for his first scoreless outing since May 8. Hope springs eternal that McArthur may have cured his penchant for allowing homers after giving up one in four of his previous five outings, which has taken his ERA to 4.35 this season. He's on pace to exceed 30 saves, making him a solid foundation for fantasy managers who correctly rolled the dice on his gaining the closer's role in March.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo will look to notch his fifth straight quality start on Saturday when the leads the Royals at home against the Oakland A's. Lugo has been one of the bigger surprises this season, posting up a miniscule 1.66 ERA. In his last outing he struck out a career high 12 batters in eight innings against the Los Angeles Angels. Lugo may not be able to replicate that against the Oakland A's, though, as current A's batters have hit him for a .379 wOBA in 25 PA, though they are striking out against him at a 24% clip. Fantasy managers should keep Lugo in their lineups and DFS managers should look to target Lugo against the A's, who are hitting for just a .573 OPS over the last seven days.
Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith will be getting the day off on Thursday as the Dodgers open a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Smith has started each of the past six games and holds an overall .315/.381/.479 line with four home runs. Instead, Austin Barnes will serve as the catcher for Tyler Glasnow and will bat in the nine-hole. The 34-year-old is best to fade in DFS as he enters Thursday with a .219/.359/.250 slash line with no home runs and has only appeared in 13 games this season.
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. This will be only Garcia's second game of the season starting on the bench. In his absence, veteran Adam Frazier will start at third base and hit out of the leadoff spot for KC against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Garcia has been productive for the upstart Royals in 2024, hitting .239/.288/.369 with four home runs, 25 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 192 plate appearances. He's riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 4-for-17 (.235) with an RBI and two steals. Frazier will have more DFS upside as a sleeper on Wednesday out of the leadoff spot, but he's never faced Woo in his career and has gone just 15-for-84 (.179) on the year with a homer and eight RBI.