Kansas City Royals Roster
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Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. This will be only Garcia's second game of the season starting on the bench. In his absence, veteran Adam Frazier will start at third base and hit out of the leadoff spot for KC against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Garcia has been productive for the upstart Royals in 2024, hitting .239/.288/.369 with four home runs, 25 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 192 plate appearances. He's riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 4-for-17 (.235) with an RBI and two steals. Frazier will have more DFS upside as a sleeper on Wednesday out of the leadoff spot, but he's never faced Woo in his career and has gone just 15-for-84 (.179) on the year with a homer and eight RBI.
Kansas City Royals third base prospect Cayden Wallace has been settling in at Double-A and is making a case to be promoted to Triple-A. Through 28 games this season he boasts a .284/.368/.441 line with three home runs and three swiped bags. This is a significant improvement compared to his .236/.300/.362 line he posted in 33 games at the same level last season. With his recent success, the 22-year-old could make a case to be promoted to Triple-A soon, which could open the door for a late-season MLB debut. Currently ranked as the number two prospect in the Royals system, he should be left on the waiver wire in dynasty formats for now but could be worth stashing if he carries this momentum into Triple-A.
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher James McArthur was called upon to hold a three-run lead versus the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The right-hander allowed a solo blast to cut the lead down to two runs. McArthur would retire the next three batters he faced to earn his ninth save of the season. The 27-year-old now holds a 4.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and an 18/3 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings. McArthur has converted nine of his 12 save chances this season. Despite some struggles, the Royals appear to be sticking with McArthur as the closer going forward.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was excellent on the mound during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander has been outstanding lately and his success continued here. Lugo coasted through eight innings, allowing one run, and racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts. The veteran right-hander holds a 6-1 record, 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and a 48/12 K/BB ratio over 59 2/3 innings. He'll look to keep the great times rolling against the Oakland Athletics next weekend.
Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino will be receiving the day off on Sunday as the Royals look to clinch a series victory in a four-game set against the Los Angeles Angels. After getting off to a slow start to the season, the 26-year-old has been turning things around the past few weeks with a .350/.370/.600 line since April 30. As a result, Salvador Perez will shift to first base, which opens catching duties for Freddy Fermin, who will bat in the five-hole. Fermin has posted an excellent 11.1% K rate and a modest .241/.302/.328 line with one long ball through 20 games. He could be worth consideration in DFS as he faces southpaw Patrick Sandoval, who enters Sunday with a 4.85 ERA and 1.49 WHIP.