Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros. Isbel will head to the bench with left-hander Colton Gordon taking the mound for Houston. The Royals will play matchups and have right-handed slugger Mark Canha take over in left field and bat sixth versus Gordon. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly, but Isbel isn't worth rostering in most fantasy formats. However, it's worth noting that Isbel carried a six-game hitting streak into Tuesday's game, but it ended with his 0-for-3 performance in that contest.
Kansas City Royals outfielders Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe are both starting on the bench for Thursday's tilt against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays. Drew Waters will start in center field and bat ninth, while Mark Canha gets the nod in right field and is hitting seventh against Rays right-hander Shane Baz. Isbel did have two hits in Wednesday's win over Tampa, but he's gone 6-for-31 (.194) with six RBI, a steal, no walks and five strikeouts in his last 11 games played. Renfroe, meanwhile, will probably continue to lose playing time in the Royals outfield after starting the year with a .167 average (11-for-66) with no home runs and only four RBI. Waters and Canha will both be low-upside DFS plays on Thursday, and neither player has faced Baz in their careers. Canha hasn't homered yet but has gone 9-for-26 with two RBI and five runs scored in his limited playing time.
Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe, Michael Massey Out On Thursday
Kansas City Royals outfielders Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe and second baseman Michael Massey are all sitting in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Minnesota Twins. Drew Waters is starting in center field and batting ninth, Cavan Biggio is in right field and hitting fifth, and Maikel Garcia is at the keystone and is batting sixth against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Isbel has gone 8-for-30 with a homer, double and three RBI in his first 11 games, while both Renfroe and Massey have struggled to get going early on in the 2025 season for the Royals. Garcia is probably the best DFS bet as a sleeper on Thursday, as he's hitting .308 (12-for-39) with two homers, three doubles, six RBI and a steal in 12 games so far this year. He's hit just .143 in seven career at-bats against Ober, but it's come with a home run and two RBI.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel will get Monday off as the team starts a three-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Isbel started all three outings for the Royals in center field for their opening series with the Cleveland Guardians, but he'll get a breather to start the week. Maikel Garcia will slot into center field and bat ninth versus Milwaukee. The California native is 2-for-8 thus far with a double, single, two runs scored, and two strikeouts on the young season. He'll likely be back in the lineup over the next few days.
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.
Kyle Isbel
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