The Kansas City Royals are in a rough spot, and the latest skid has made one awkward X post age about as badly as possible.
Kansas City has dropped six of its last seven and now owns sole possession of the worst record in the American League. The gap between the Royals and the Colorado Rockies for the worst mark in baseball is down to just one game. The problem over this stretch has been the offense, which had been humming before it fell apart this week.
That makes the timing of one June 24 post especially brutal. An X user wrote that since Vinnie Pasquantino went down with a broken hamate, the Royals had moved to first in MLB in runs, average, slugging, ISO, doubles, hard-hit rate and wins, then added, “A blessing in disguise.”
Since then, the results have turned sharply. Another X user noted days later that Kansas City had gone 1-5 since the post and been outscored 62-16.
That only got worse Wednesday, when the Royals were blanked 4-0 at home by the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the last seven games, their combined scoring deficit has reached 50 runs.
The drop-off has been stark after a stretch in which Kansas City was putting up 14 runs, 12 runs and 10 runs in games before this past week. A lineup that had been carrying itself through a wide-open AL Wild Card race suddenly has too many holes.
Jac Caglianone has cooled off hard, hitting .130/.167/.217 with a -3 wRC+ over the week. Salvador Perez has posted a -20 wRC+, while Lane Thomas has gone through a rough stretch of his own with a -17 wRC+. Nick Loftin, who had filled in well for much of the season, has been the coldest of the bunch, turning in a -73 wRC+ this week, the lowest among Royals hitters with at least 10 plate appearances.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been the exception. After returning from the injured list, he’s looked like the MVP-caliber player Kansas City needs him to be. In five games, Witt has hit two homers, driven in four runs and posted a .278/.333/.667 line with a 159 wRC+.
There have been a few other signs of life behind him. Carter Jensen has kept rolling with a 121 wRC+ this week.
Isaac Collins has rebounded from a miserable season to hit .278/.350/.444 with a 120 wRC+ in his last 20 plate appearances. And Starling Marte has made the most of his chances, putting up a .300 average, .762 OPS and 132 wRC+ in his last four games and 13 plate appearances.
But four productive bats, only two of them regulars, isn’t enough to prop up a lineup. Right now, that’s where the Royals are: hoping for enough offense to avoid looking like the worst team in baseball.
And after this stretch, it sure doesn’t look like Pasquantino’s absence is “a blessing in disguise” anymore.
In Other News...
Royals May Be Cornered Into A Risky No. 6 Draft Choice
With the 2026 MLB Draft still ahead, the Royals are already being pulled into a familiar kind of debate at No. 6 overall: take the best talent available, or lean toward a college bat that could move quickly enough to help a big-league club with obvious needs. That tension has made the scouting process especially important, because Kansas City is trying to balance long-term upside with the temptation to draft for a faster timeline.
Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress is among the names in that mix, and the appeal is obvious for a team looking for impact. The concern, as always with a pick this high, is whether forcing the board toward immediate help creates more risk than reward, especially with other college options still in play. The Royals will have to settle that question when the draft unfolds July 11 in Philadelphia. [Read more 🡒]
One Royals Raffle Win Could Lead To Something Much Bigger
A Royals 50-50 charity raffle has already done more than hand out a prize. The winning ticket, tied to the American Red Cross earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela, brought in $13,679, and the money now carries a chance to reach far beyond one ballpark drawing as its winner looks to direct it toward aid work in a country still in need of help.
Working with a law firm to keep the donations transparent, the Sedalia businessman behind the ticket wants the proceeds aimed at medical relief for hospitals in Venezuela. What makes the story worth watching is how a one-night raffle windfall could become the start of something larger if other major league teams and players decide to get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Standards Are Being Put To The Test Again
The Royals entered the 2026 season with higher expectations than this much of the summer has delivered, and the gap between the preseason projection and the actual results has become harder to ignore. Kansas City has stumbled to a poor record and a bad run differential, leaving the club well behind the standard it set for itself, yet the response from the front office has been muted compared with the kind of urgency other struggling teams tend to show.
Executive JJ Picollo has pointed to a coaching staff that is prepared, curious and working hard, while framing the situation as one that still calls for more conversation than for a major shakeup. It is a familiar sort of public posture, but it also leaves the Royals in an awkward spot: a team underperforming badly enough to raise questions, and a leadership group not ready to make the kind of move that would signal those questions have been answered. [Read more 🡒]