Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (back) will sit for the second consecutive game on Sunday as the Royals look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Isbel was not in Saturday's lineup as well after leaving Friday's game early with lower back tightness. As a result, Dairon Blanco will play center field and bat ninth. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Isbel's status before Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. Blanco has tallied only three hits and posted a poor .214 AVG in his past six games. He should be faded in DFS on Sunday afternoon as he will face Max Scherzer, who is making his 2024 debut.
Back Tightness Forces Kyle Isbel From Friday's Game
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (back) had to leave Friday's game early in the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers with lower-back tightness. The good news is that before leaving the contest in Texas, Isbel hit his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning of starter Nathan Eovaldi. He was replaced in center field by Garrett Hampson. The former third-round pick in 2018 out of UNLV came into Friday's contest hitting a weak .225 (42-for-187) with a .270 on-base percentage and .618 OPS with four home runs, 19 RBI, four stolen bases and 25 runs scored in 62 games in his fourth year with the Royals. Until we know about the severity of his injury, consider him day-to-day. Hampson could get more looks in KC's outfield if Isbel's injury lands him on the injured list.
The Kansas City Royals believe that outfielder Kyle Isbel is their best center field option heading into the 2024 season. They are counting on power at the corner-outfield spots from MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe. Drew Waters can play all three outfield spots and could easily play into an Opening Day starting spot. While Waters has nice upside, he could benefit from more at-bats to begin the year in the minors as well. Isbel, 26, hasn't hit much so far in the big leagues, but he has an elite glove. At the very least, Isbel should find himself starting in center field for the Royals in 2024 against right-handed pitching. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can ignore him. In 313 plate appearances last year, Isbel had only five home runs and seven stolen bases.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel is out of the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Chicago White Sox for the third straight game. The Royals are rolling with Drew Waters in center field, and he'll hit in the eight-hole against White Sox right-hander Jesse Scholtens. Nelson Velazquez is in right field and batting sixth. The left-handed-hitting Isbel has gone just 4-for-23 (.174) with a homer, a double, seven RBI and four runs scored in eight starts since Aug. 21, so he's getting a couple days to reset offensively. On the year as a whole, the 26-year-old third-year player is batting .236 (59-for-250) with a career-high-tying five home runs, 19 doubles, a triple, 29 RBI, six stolen bases and 34 runs scored for the Royals in 76 games.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (hamstring) will head to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment. Isbel injured his left hamstring back on May 4 while running out a bunt for a base hit. Kansas City plans to have him spend a couple of weeks with Omaha until he's 100%. Isbel will take over as the Royals' starting center fielder when he's ready to return from injury.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel is not in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. Isbel will get a normal day of rest on Thursday. The 25-year-old is hitting .222 (8-for-36) with a homer, six RBI and nine runs scored in 16 games since the All-Star break. Overall in 70 games in his second MLB season, he's slashing just .223/.258/.360 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 22 runs scored and six stolen bases for KC in 186 plate appearances. Nate Eaton will take over in right field and hit ninth in the batting order against White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease. This will only be Eaton's 11th big-league game, and he's gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer, three RBI and five runs scored. You can find better DFS options.
Royals Place Amir Garrett, Kyle Isbel On Injured List
The Kansas City Royals placed relief pitcher Amir Garrett and outfielder Kyle Isbel on the injured list on Thursday. No injury designation was given, suggesting they have landed on the COVID-19 injured list. Right-handed pitcher Dylan Coleman and outfielder Brewer Hicklen were recalled from Triple-A in corresponding moves. Garrett has had a rocky first season with the Royals so far, pitching to a 4.61 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 16 appearances. Isbel, meanwhile is slashing .276/.295/.345 over 24 games with four doubles, two stolen bases and zero home runs.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel had a memorable game in the team's 10-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and three runs scored. The home run was the first of his career. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut on Opening Day this year and kicked off his big league career with a pair of multi-hit efforts. He struggled after that and was demoted to Triple-A in late April. He was recalled by the team this past Sunday after Michael A. Taylor was placed on the family medical emergency list. Isbel may not stay up in the majors much longer unless he can have a few more games like he did on Tuesday.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel had an impressive MLB debut on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers. Isbel went 3-for-5 with three singles, two RBI and a run while striking out twice. He batted seventh in the game and played right field. It appears as if Isbel will be the team's primary right fielder to start the year. He's someone worth keeping an eye on in deep leagues and AL-only leagues. The 24-year-old doesn't have the most impressive minor league resume. Over 52 games at High-A in 2019, he slashed .216/.282/.361 with five home runs, 23 RBI, 26 runs and eight stolen bases. Don't rush to the waiver wire to add him, but if he stays hot and you're in need of outfield help, he's worth consideration.
