Kansas City Royals Roster
- AL Central
- Stadium
- Kauffman Stadium
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.
Kansas City Royals third base prospect Cayden Wallace has been settling in at Double-A and is making a case to be promoted to Triple-A. Through 28 games this season he boasts a .284/.368/.441 line with three home runs and three swiped bags. This is a significant improvement compared to his .236/.300/.362 line he posted in 33 games at the same level last season. With his recent success, the 22-year-old could make a case to be promoted to Triple-A soon, which could open the door for a late-season MLB debut. Currently ranked as the number two prospect in the Royals system, he should be left on the waiver wire in dynasty formats for now but could be worth stashing if he carries this momentum into Triple-A.
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher James McArthur was called upon to hold a three-run lead versus the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The right-hander allowed a solo blast to cut the lead down to two runs. McArthur would retire the next three batters he faced to earn his ninth save of the season. The 27-year-old now holds a 4.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and an 18/3 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings. McArthur has converted nine of his 12 save chances this season. Despite some struggles, the Royals appear to be sticking with McArthur as the closer going forward.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was excellent on the mound during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander has been outstanding lately and his success continued here. Lugo coasted through eight innings, allowing one run, and racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts. The veteran right-hander holds a 6-1 record, 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and a 48/12 K/BB ratio over 59 2/3 innings. He'll look to keep the great times rolling against the Oakland Athletics next weekend.