Kansas City Royals Roster
- AL Central
- Stadium
- Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) remains out of the starting lineup on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. Perez is dealing with a sore left thumb and will miss his second straight game. The 32-year-old All-Star backstop is day-to-day and should have a chance to get back into the lineup for one of the final two games of the regular season on Tuesday and Wednesday. With Perez out again to begin the week, rookie MJ Melendez will start behind the plate and bat leadoff against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. The 23-year-old is only hitting .224 (100-for-447) in his first 126 major-league games in 2022, but he does have 18 home runs and 62 RBI. In nine games since Sept. 23, Melendez has gone 9-for-35 (.257) with a homer and five RBI.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) is absent from the starting lineup on Sunday vs. the Cleveland Guardians. The veteran catcher has some thumb soreness but this is more of a maintenance day for him. MJ Melendez is starting behind the dish and Edward Olivares is filling in at designated hitter vs. Shane Bieber.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino went 2-for-4 on Thursday with a run, two singles, and a walk as his club lost to the Detroit Tigers 10-3. The rookie's been a bright spot in the Royals lineup, slashing .284/.374/.441 with nine home runs, 22 runs, and 24 RBI over 66 games. Fantasy managers that picked up Pasquantino on the waiver wire should be happy with his production, and his career .292 minor league batting average proves it's sustainable.
Kansas City Royals rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is taking the day off on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Fantasy managers need to shift him to their benches for the day. The 22-year-old has had a great first year in the big leagues and is currently in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak as we approach the end of the regular season. Witt is batting .256/.295/.440 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 81 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in his first big-league season in 562 at-bats for KC. With Witt on the bench, Nicky Lopez shifts over to shortstop and is hitting ninth, while Michael Massey is at the keystone and batting second against Tigers right-hander Matt Manning.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke was at his best Tuesday, throwing seven shutout innings in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out two. Fantasy managers have come to expect this type of outing from Greinke, solid innings with limited strikeout upside. He has a 4-9 record with a 3.98 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts in 131 innings this year. The lack of whiffs make him hard to roster, but the 38-year-old continues to get the job done on the field.
