On Wednesday, Kansas City Royals first baseman Lucas Duda is starting for the first time since Sunday as Cheslor Cuthbert sits. Duda will bat sixth against Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger. Duda is hitting a mere .173/.266/.321 in 94 plate appearances in 2019 and hasn't been a plus bat since 2017, making him an easy DFS pass despite Clevinger's recent struggles.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians. Cheslor Cuthbert moves up to third in the order, where Gordon has typically been since Adalberto Mondesi's injury, while Whit Merrifield makes a rare start in left field in his usual leadoff spot. Lucas Duda makes his first start since Saturday, as the designated hitter batting sixth. Kansas City is facing starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, and Duda could be a good value play in the early slate with the platoon advantage despite batting in the bottom half of the order. Bauer is largely too talented to trust the Royals today, however.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Lucas Duda (back) has been activated from the 10-day injured list, while third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Duda spent the second half of 2018 with the Royals and finished with 13 home runs, 48 RBI and a .242 batting average, but so far this season he has struggled at the plate with two home runs and a .174/.304/.326 slash line. The 33-year-old should be ignored in all fantasy formats at the moment.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Lucas Duda (back) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, and he quickly knocked a couple of singles. Duda has been on the Injured List since April 27 due to a strained back, but the team has been in no hurry to rush him back since his playing time will be questionable and playoffs are already a bit of a distant hope. Duda was brought in last year to hopefully provide some pop for an otherwise light-hitting lineup, but he proved to be unimpressive as he only hit 14 home runs for the season. He was brought back this season because the team was unsure if youngster Ryan O'Hearn was ready for the show, and so far, that's proven to be a fairly valid question since O'Hearn is hitting just .191. It's unclear how much Duda will play, but he could be a sleeper power candidate if he can find regular time and return to his former glory.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Lucas Duda (back) is reportedly getting closer to a rehab assignment. Duda landed on the injured list April 27 due to a lumbar strain. He was struggling with the bat before that, hitting just .174/.306/.326. Duda should be back with the Royals by early June. However, he's not going to have much fantasy value outside of his power numbers.
The Kansas City Royals placed first baseman Lucas Duda on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain in his back on Saturday and recalled third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Duda will be eligible to return on May 4. Gutierrez, 24, was hitting .333 (22-for-66) with a double, two home runs and 12 walks in 18 games down on the farm. He was acquired from the Nationals in the trade involving reliever Kelvin Herrera last year. He could see decent playing time at third, moving Hunter Dozier to firsts, in the next week. Duda was hitting just .174 (8-for-46) with two homers and eight RBI on the year. You shouldn't necessarily hold him in mixed leagues if you don't have the room.
Kansas City Royals first baseman/designated hitter Lucas Duda continued to wallow away in his slump on Tuesday as his 0-for-2 effort meant he's only gotten two hits in his last 19 at-bats. His season batting average has sunk to .174, but surprisingly enough, he's remained patient at the plate, walking an astounding 16% of the time so far. This is a far cry from his career rate of just 11%, and it implies that perhaps Duda has decided that this is one way to combat his advancing age. If he can stay patient and pick his spots, the aging slugger could still find his way to 15 or 20 home runs if he hangs on to regular playing time all year, but for now, he's just got to find a way to break out of his funk.
Kansas City Royals first basemen Ryan O'Hearn and Lucas Duda are both out of the lineup against Yankees left-handed starter CC Sabathia on Friday. Whit Merrifield is at first base and is hitting leadoff, while Jorge Soler is the designated hitter and is batting sixth. Chris Owings is at second base and batting seventh, while Terrance Gore is in right field and batting ninth. Billy Hamilton also moves up to the two-spot in the order. Merrifield is always an exciting fantasy play in any format, but Hamilton receives a notable boost and can better utilize his speed at the top. Soler has shown his impressive power so far this year, but his contact issues make him a boom-or-bust DFS play.
The Kansas City Royals have selected the contract for first baseman Lucas Duda. Duda is expected to return to the team as a hybrid first base/designated hitter role and also serve as a left-handed bat off the bench. The 33-year-old filled a similar spot for the team last year when he racked up 14 home runs in 328 at-bats. That said, with younger prospects like Ryan O'Hearn and Frank Schwindel performing well in spring training, Duda's time with KC could be surprisingly short. With the team undergoing a rebuild, it would be surprising if the veteran sees extended amounts of at-bats this season.
The Minnesota Twins signed free-agent first baseman Lucas Duda to a minor league deal on Saturday. Duda will make $1.75 million plus $1.5 million in incentives if he makes the big league roster. The 33-year-old hit .241/.313/.418 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI in 107 games with the Royals and Braves in 2018 and might have a tough time cracking Minnesota's Opening Day roster. He brings a power stroke from the left side -- he had 30 homers in both 2017 and 2014 -- but doesn't offer much else (career .242 average in nine seasons).
Lucas Duda
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Royals
