The Royals have bigger problems than one spot in the lineup, but second base has quietly become one of the clearest ones.
Kansas City sits at 50-73, and with the season basically slipping out of view, the conversation has already turned to what comes next. Owner John Sherman has said investment needs to be made in the pitching staff, especially the rotation, and the club made a small move Thursday by signing Tony Gonsolin. But the roster issues go well beyond the mound.
Second base, in particular, looks like a position Kansas City can’t keep treating as “good enough.” Michael Massey has handled the job most of the time, and by OPS it has been the Royals’ worst position this season outside of designated hitter.
That doesn’t mean Massey has been a disaster. Compared with his injury-hit 2025, when he posted a .581 OPS, 57 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR, he has bounced back to a .725 OPS, 96 wRC+ and 1.5 fWAR.
Even so, the bat has not given Kansas City the kind of steady production a contender wants from a regular. In an infield that includes Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone, Massey’s profile stands out in a different way.
That’s part of why second base feels like such an obvious offseason target. With Caglianone and Isaac Collins proving useful in the outfield and Kyle Isbel locked in as a defensive presence in center, the Royals’ infield still has a spot that could use a real upgrade.
Last winter, Kansas City tried to patch the position with a Massey-Jonathan India platoon. The results have not pushed the team anywhere meaningful this year. If the Royals are serious about setting themselves up to contend again starting in 2027, they need more production at second than what they’ve gotten so far.
Massey still may have a place in that future, just not necessarily as the everyday answer.
His left-handed bat could help off the bench, especially against favorable matchups, and he has enough experience at third base and in the corner outfield to fit as a utility option. He could also become a trade piece if Kansas City decides it needs to open up room and money for a more impactful upgrade.
For a team trying to move past its 2024 ALDS run and build something stronger, second base looks like a spot that can’t be ignored again.
In Other News...
Royals Downtown Ballpark Plan Hits A Crucial New City Hurdle
The Royals push for a new downtown ballpark is heading into a key stretch, with Kansas City officials set to review the funding and rezoning package tied to the project. The plan calls for the stadium to rise on the south side of Crown Center at 26th and Gillham, a site that has already become the center of plenty of public debate as the team tries to move its long-term home into the heart of the city.
The next step comes as the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee takes up the proposal at City Hall, with the political clock now working against everyone involved. A local group is pressing for a public vote before any city money is committed, and the council has a late-August deadline to act if it wants to keep the question from landing on November ballots. [Read more 🡒]
Caglianone Is Becoming The Royals Lineup Force They Needed
Since the start of August, Jac Caglianone has started to look less like a promising bat and more like a middle-of-the-order problem for opposing pitchers. The Royals have gotten a hit from him in every game he has played this month, a run that has included a 12-game hitting streak and six multihit outings, the kind of steady production Kansas City has been chasing as it tries to lengthen its lineup.
That latest surge showed up again at Angel Stadium, where Caglianone went 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs in the Royals 7-6 win, highlighted by a two-run homer off a left-hander. He has been driving the ball with authority all month, hitting .446 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 49 plate appearances, and the question now is less about whether he belongs in the lineup than how much more damage he can keep doing as the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]