Kansas City Royals Roster
- AL Central
- Stadium
- Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals designated hitter Jorge Soler (oblique) took live at-bats on Thursday without suffering any setbacks. The 28-year-old is inching closer to a return, with a workout scheduled on Friday. Soler has not fully lived up to the hype of his 2019 season, where he smashed 48 homers, but he remains an elite power option in fantasy formats. At this rate, it looks like the slugger could return for the final week of the season, but nothing is guaranteed yet.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez homered for the second time in three games on Wednesday. He went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and three RBI in Wednesday's game. Perez has been on a tear since returning from the Injured List a week ago. He's recorded multiple hits in each of the five games he's played since his return, slashing .524/.545/1.000. He's hitting .349 overall this year, well above his career average of .269. On a per-game basis, he's been as good as any catcher in fantasy this year. Keep riding him down the season's final stretch.
Fresh off the heels of his no-hit bid last week, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer stayed hot on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Singer pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. He threw 58 of his 81 pitches for strikes and earned his third win of the season. Singer probably could have gone deeper in the game, but since he threw 119 pitches in last week's start, the team was likely being cautious with his workload. His next start is slated for Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis was expected to be a cornerstone of the clubs starting rotation in 2020, but he was optioned to the clubs alternate site Wednesday, likely ending his year at the big league level, barring injuries. In six starts, Junis went winless with a 6.94 ERA that was burdened by yielding seven home runs in 23 1/3 frames. Junis never so much as pitched into the sixth inning in any of his starts, making him an extreme question mark heading into the 21 year.
Kansas City Royals pitcher Matt Harvey was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lat strain on Wednesday afternoon. The 31-year-old suffered the injury during a relief appearance against the Tigers on Tuesday night. Harvey was horrendous in 2020, posting an 11.57 ERA and 2.74 WHIP across 11 2/3 innings. The former All-Star will be a free agent this offseason, but it might be tough for him to get another contract.