Kansas City Royals

Melky Cabrera doubles and drives in two RBIs vs Blue Jays

Thu, Sep 21st 9:20am EDT
By Robert Kaszanek

Melky Cabrera went 1-for-2 on Wednesday night vs the Blue Jays. He hit a double, drew a walk, scored two runs, and drove in two RBIs.

Fantasy Impact: Cabrera started the Royals surplus of scoring off with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and they never looked back as they finished the night scoring 15 runs. He also added an RBI double in the sixth inning which was his 28th of the year. Cabrera has struggled at the plate recently going 6-for-36 in his last 10 games, but should find his rhythm at the plate soon. Fantasy owners should stay away for now.

Salvador Perez hits two-run homer on Wednesday night

Thu, Sep 21st 9:11am EDT
By Robert Kaszanek

Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 on Wednesday night vs the Blue Jays. He delivered a two-run home run and drove in his third RBI of the game on a ground out.

Fantasy Impact: Perez was able to find his power swing in his second game back since aggravating his intercostal injury as he launched home run number 26 of the year. He also drove in three RBIs which gives him 76 for the season. The all-star will round out the year being one of the top options at catcher despite his recent injuries.

Lorenzo Cain singles and steal bag on Wednesday

Thu, Sep 21st 9:03am EDT
By Robert Kaszanek

Lorenzo Cain went 1-for-3 on Wednesday night in a route of the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit a single, drew a walk, and stole a base before being defensively replaced in the sixth inning by Paulo Orlando.

Fantasy Impact: Cain got his work in quickly on Wednesday night as he recorded a hit, a walk, and a stolen base all before the seventh inning. The stolen base was Cain's 25th of the year making him 11th in the league. Cain also elevated his average to .301 making him a great fantasy asset coming down the stretch.

Mike Moustakas breaks Royals HR record

Thu, Sep 21st 8:51am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Mike Moustakas finally broke Steve Balboni's record for Royals homers in a season, as he clubbed number 37 Wednesday night against the Jays. He finished 3-4 with that homer and a double in a blowout of the Jays.

Fantasy Impact: While it is great that Moustakas got the record, he has been atrocious over the past month due to a bad knee. He only has two homers and is batting .225 over the past month. Look for him to get rest days down the stretch as the Royals are effectively out of the playoff race.

Whit Merrifield has monster game Wednesday

Thu, Sep 21st 8:46am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Whit Merrifield had an amazing all-around game Wednesday against the Blue Jays, going 3-5 with a solo homer and two RBIs. He also swiped two bags, and the Royals rocked the Jays 15-5.

Fantasy Impact: This is the type of game that Merrifield owners love to see. He is very close to joining the 20/30 club, with 18 homers and 32 steals. His .290 average (.354 over the past two weeks), 75 runs, and 73 RBIs make him a great fantasy asset.

Jake Junis stays solid, gets win against Blue Jays

Thu, Sep 21st 8:42am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Jake Junis pitched 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball Wednesday against the Jays. He scattered three hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts. His record improved to 8-2, as the Royals blew the Jays out 15-5.

Fantasy Impact: Junis has been great over the past month, sporting a 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He will likely start Monday at Yankee stadium, a true test for the rookie.

Brandon Moss drives in two on Sunday

Mon, Sep 18th 8:36am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Brandon Moss went 1-3 with a two-run single. These are the only runs that the Royals could muster against the Indians as they lost 3-2.

Fantasy Impact: Moss has been hot over the past two weeks, hitting .282 with four homers and 13 RBIs. If you are desperate to chase the hot bat during the stretch run, Moss is under strong consideration. Moss now has 22 homers, but only 49 RBIs.

Danny Duffy very strong in return on Sunday

Mon, Sep 18th 8:31am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Danny Duffy threw five strong innings in his return from the DL on Sunday, getting eight strikeouts and allowing two runs (one earned) on just one hit. He did not walk a batter. Unfortunately, he was pitching against Corey Kluber, and the Indians won 3-2.

Fantasy Impact: Duffy's record drops to 8-9, to no fault of his own. If Duffy was dropped in the playoffs, it would be wise to pick him up for the stretch run. Duffy now has a 3.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 124 Ks in 136 innings pitched.

Brandon Maurer flounders against Indians

Fri, Sep 15th 1:22pm EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Brandon Maurer was called on to preserve a tie game against the Indians Thursday in extra innings, but failed to do so. Jay Bruce doubled in Jose Ramirez for the winning run, and Maurer took the loss.

Fantasy Impact: Maurer, while owned in close to half of Yahoo leagues, is probably not going to be the closer going forward. Scott Alexander has stepped up and has done a good job for the most part in high-leverage situations. Besides, Maurer's 6.55 ERA and 1.54 WHIP leave much to be desired.

Kelvin Herrera blows yet another save

Fri, Sep 15th 1:20pm EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Kelvin Herrera was summoned to close Thursday's game due to Scott Alexander having pitched three days in a row, and he coughed up a 2-1 lead against the magnificent Indians. Francisco Lindor doubled to left, driving in the tying run. The Indians would later win in the 10th.

Fantasy Impact: His ERA has increased to 4.56 to along with a ballooning WHIP of 1.43.Herrera has been horrible for the past month, and should be dropped in all formats.

Eric Hosmer goes 1-3 with RBI in losing effort

Fri, Sep 15th 1:16pm EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Eric Hosmer hit a double that drove in a run Thursday and later scored. However, the Royals bullpen coughed up a late inning lead to the Indians, and the Royals lost 3-2.

Fantasy Impact: Hosmer keeps doing his part to keep the Royals in the race, but his teammates has not followed his lead. Now hitting a robust .325/.393/.514 to go along with 24 homers, 89 runs, and 86 RBIs, Hosmer is one of the top players in the game.

Scott Alexander takes loss Wednesday

Thu, Sep 14th 8:33am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Scott Alexander came on in the ninth against the White Sox Wednesday to maintain a tie game, but he allowed two runs on two hits and a walk. The Royals could not recover in the bottom of the inning and lost 5-3.

Fantasy Impact: Blame this one on manager Ned Yost. Alexander had worked three innings over the past two days, but Yost threw him out there anyway. Given that starter Eric Skoglund has been awful, the Royals had to use a lot of their bullpen. However, there was a better way for Yost to manage the game. Alexander now has a 2.26 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 53 Ks in 63 2/3 innings.

Jason Hammel gets knocked around by White Sox

Tue, Sep 12th 8:48am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Jason Hammel only lasted 3 1/3 innings Monday, getting put on blast by Jose Abreu and the Sox. He gave up five runs on ten hits and two walks. He somehow struck out seven in the outing, watching his record drop to 8-11 in the 11-3 blowout loss.

Fantasy Impact: Hammel was the Royals most consistent starter in the second half, so this is certainly a disappointing start for him. With his lack of Ks and a 4.91 ERA, you can certainly find better on the waiver wire.

Jason Vargas notches 15th win Sunday

Mon, Sep 11th 8:44am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Jason Vargas got plenty of run support Sunday, as the Royals beat the Twins 11-3. Vargas only pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out three.

Fantasy Impact: This still is not an impressive outing from Vargas. Even with the one earned run, his ERA over the past month is 7.53. A 1.57 WHIP does not impress either. You can certainly find better pitchers on the waiver wire.

Trevor Cahill gives up three runs in relief yet again

Sat, Sep 9th 11:22am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Trevor Cahill came on to relieve Ian Kennedy on Friday, but didn't fare much better. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. The Royals lost 8-5.

Fantasy Impact: Cahill is not rosterable at the moment. He is very rusty coming back from the DL, and cannot find a spot in the Royals lackluster rotation. 2017 looks like a lost season for him.

Ian Kennedy only lasts three innings Friday

Sat, Sep 9th 11:19am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Ian Kennedy only made it through three innings Friday, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out two in the outing, and his record dropped to 4-11. He ended up leaving the game with shoulder tightness, which is not surprising given his second half landslide.

Fantasy Impact: Kennedy is not rosterable in any format at this stage. His 5.45 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings will tell fantasy owners that. Stay away.

Alcides Escobar has monster night Wednesday

Thu, Sep 7th 9:00am EDT
By Carmen Maiorano

Alcides Escobar went 4-5 Wednesday, including a double and a triple. The Royals demolished the Tigers 13-2.

Fantasy Impact: While this was an amazing game for Escobar, he still is not fantasy relevant. He is hitting .243 with 61 runs scored and 43 RBIs.

Neftali Feliz was released by the Royals on September 1.

Fantasy Impact: Feliz never got it going with the Royals, posting a 4.74 ERA in his time there, and a 5.48 ERA over the course of the season. He may get picked up in a non-setup role, making him worth next to nothing in fantasy leagues.

Drew Butera hits home run on Tuesday

Wed, Aug 16th 9:24am EDT
By Robert Kaszanek

Drew Butera went 1-for-4 on Tuesday night vs the Athletics. His lone hit of the game was a two-run home run.

Fantasy Impact: Butera has filled in for the injured Salvador Perez, and although he's no where close to the player Perez is, he's produced admirably. He has hits in five out of his last six games to give himself a respectable .269 average. Obviously, he's not a fantasy option, but if you need a cheap DFS catcher he's not a bad choice.

Jorge Bonifacio has multi-hit game vs Tigers

Tue, Jul 25th 10:30pm EDT
By Robert Kaszanek

Jorge Bonifacio went 2-for-4 on Tuesday night vs the Tigers. He delivered to sharply hit singles and scored a run.

Fantasy Impact: Bonifacio entered the game having homered in his past three contests, he didn't deliver another home run, but he did line two singles. Bonifacio has quietly been effective for the Royals, and hasn't garnered much fantasy attention, but he could be an intriguing option in a deep league.