Kansas City Royals News

Rookie catcher MJ Melendez homered and drove in six runs, and Brad Keller ended a three-start losing streak as the host Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 13-5 on Sunday.Melendez's three-run blast off Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford in the fifth inning broke open a two-run game.In the series, Melendez homered three times and drove in 10 runs as the Royals won three of four. The Red Sox have lost four of their past five games.Keller (6-12) worked six innings, allowing four hits and one run -- Rafael Devers' 24th homer of the season. Keller walked three and struck out four.Crawford (3-4) surrendered five runs, one on a balk, on five hits and two walks. He struck out four.In the fifth inning, Michael Massey walked for the Royals, and Nate Eaton doubled on a long fly ball to center that Jarren Duran allowed to drop just past him on the warning track, putting runners at second and third.Crawford got a strikeout, but Melendez's 13th homer of the season extended the Royals' lead to 5-0.Devers homered in the sixth, and Tommy Pham, who was batting just .150 in his first five games with Boston, hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Taylor Clarke to pull the Red Sox to 5-3.Kansas City added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back triples by Eaton and Kyle Isbel and Melendez's sacrifice fly.

Nick Pratto hit a two-out homer to center field, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 5-4 walk-off victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Saturday night.Pratto launched a 3-2 changeup from Garrett Whitlock (2-2) for his first career walk-off hit. It was the eighth walk-off loss this season for the Red Sox, the most in the majors.Dylan Coleman (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth to earn the victory. Whitlock, who had pitched two scoreless innings heading into the ninth, took the loss.Neither starter factored into the decision. Kansas City's Daniel Lynch allowed four earned runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out six and didn't walk anyone for the second straight start.Nathan Eovaldi's line was almost identical. He also allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings without yielding a walk. He struck out seven.MJ Melendez led off the bottom of the first with a home run, the second time in the last three games that he has led off a game with a long ball.The Red Sox answered in the second. J.D. Martinez hit a one-out double to the wall in right. He advanced on Christian Arroyo's single and scored on an error by Bobby Witt Jr.

Xander Bogaerts had four hits with a run and an RBI as the Boston Red Sox defeated the host Kansas City Royals 7-4 Friday night to even the four-game series at a game apiece.Alex Verdugo had three hits, including two doubles, and two runs for Boston.Josh Winckowski (5-5) earned the win. He gave up one run on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two. Winckowski worked around trouble most of the evening.Greinke (3-7) took the loss. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.Eric Hosmer, who had 288 career RBIs at Kauffman Stadium as a member of the Royals in his first seven seasons, pulled a double down the right-field line in the second inning to give the Red Sox the early lead. Hosmer's hit drove in Verdugo, who reached on a one-out double.J.D. Martinez hit a double off the top of the wall in left center, scoring Bogaerts and Verdugo with one out in the fourth, extending Boston's lead to 3-0.The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Winckowski got Kyle Isbel to ground into a fielder's choice at the plate and struck out Nicky Lopez.

Salvador Perez's three-run, line-drive homer capped a four-run seventh inning as the Kansas City Royals defeated the visiting Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.Perez collected four RBIs on the night. His home run was reviewed after the ball appeared to hit the wall below the railing, but the call stood. Boston manager Alex Cora emerged from the dugout to argue with plate umpire Bill Welke, who ejected him.Prior to Perez's blast, Bobby Witt Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a single that scored Nicky Lopez.Eric Hosmer, who starred for the Royals from 2011-17, made his Red Sox debut, going 0-for-3 with a walk.Taylor Clarke (3-1), who blew a save opportunity, was the winning pitcher.Darwinzon Hernandez (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs in the seventh.Neither starter factored in the decision. Kansas City's Kris Bubic allowed two runs on four hits in six innings to record his fourth straight quality start. He struck out six and walked one. Boston's Nick Pivetta gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Jose Abreu homered for the second straight game and Lance Lynn pitched six strong innings to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 4-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon.The White Sox took two of three from Kansas City while collecting double-digit hits in each game. Liam Hendriks worked a perfect ninth to notch his 21st save as the Chicago relief corps retired nine of 10 batters faced.Chicago's Eloy Jimenez extended his hitting streak to a season-high nine games, finishing 3-for-4 with three singles. Jimenez had four multi-hit games over the past week to help the White Sox to a 4-2 homestand against Oakland and Kansas City.The White Sox moved to two games over .500 for the first time since April 20.Lynn needed a mere 24 pitches to retire the first six Royals in order. Then the rains came.After enduring a 65-minute rain delay, Lynn shook off a Michael Massey single to open the Kansas City third and another Massey single with one out in the fifth. A product of south suburban Palos Park, Ill., and a childhood White Sox fan, Massey made good in a homecoming as he was called up from Triple-A before the game.Bobby Witt Jr. cracked a solo home run in the sixth to open the scoring for Kansas City and trim the deficit to three runs.The White Sox got on the board on a Yoan Moncada RBI single against Royals starter Brady Singer in the first inning. Chicago broke things open in the third, as Tim Anderson and Jimenez singled ahead of Abreu, who launched a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right center for a three-run shot.

Eloy Jimenez went 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, Jose Abreu and Gavin Sheets homered and the host Chicago White Sox routed the Kansas City Royals 9-2 on Tuesday night.Jimenez stretched his season-best hitting streak to eight games while notching his fourth multi-hit game during that stretch. The White Sox outhit the Royals 14-7, with Andrew Vaughn collecting three hits and Tim Anderson, Abreu and Josh Harrison each adding two apiece.Chicago's Lucas Giolito (7-6) picked up his first win in three starts, scattering two runs and five hits in five innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.The White Sox built a three-run cushion in the first inning, doing damage early in counts against Royals right-hander Brad Keller.One batter after Vaughn tripled on the first pitch, Jimenez hit a first-pitch single to open the scoring. Abreu followed with an RBI single of his own before Yoan Moncada walked and AJ Pollock capped the rally with a run-scoring single.Jimenez added a two-run double in the fourth and had to settle for a sacrifice fly in the sixth when he narrowly missed a grand slam. The next batter, Abreu, connected for a two-run homer against Keller (5-12), his second long ball in three games.Giolito rebounded from a laborious third inning to earn his first victory since July 13. After cruising through the first two innings, Giolito walked three and allowed two runs in a 41-pitch third before striking out Michael Taylor to strand the bases loaded.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield from the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Mitch White from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.To the Royals, the Blue Jays are sending prospect Samad Taylor and right-hander Max Castillo. The Royals assigned Taylor to Triple-A Omaha and added Castillo to their 40-man roster and optioned him to Omaha.To the Dodgers, the Blue Jays are sending minor league pitching prospects Nick Frasso and Moises Brito. The Blue Jays also get minor league infielder Alex De Jesus in the deal.Merrifield, 33, has spent all seven years of his major league career in Kansas City. He's a career .286 hitter despite batting a career-low .240 in 95 games this season. Merrifield was an All-Star in 2019 and 2021.Merrifield had been unvaccinated with the Royals, something that will need to change given Canada's health requirements against COVID-19.White, 27, had been something of a revelation for the pitching-rich Dodgers this season. He is 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 15 appearances, including a career-high 10 starts. He's 3-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 38 career games (14 starts) since being taken in the second round of the 2016 draft.

Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield homered and Daniel Lynch pitched into the sixth inning in his first action in more than two weeks to boost the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 2-1 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.Kansas City won its second straight on the heels of a five-game losing streak behind an opportunistic attack and a bounce-back effort from Lynch, who was activated from the injured list before the game. The lefty was sidelined with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand.Lynch (4-7) scattered six hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings. He did not issue a walk for the first time in 17 starts this season.Scott Barlow capped a strong effort from the Royals bullpen, allowing two hits and striking out two to earn a two-inning save, his 17th. The White Sox again fell short of securing their first three-game home winning streak of the season, with Tim Anderson grounding into a double play to end the night.Perez connected for a solo shot, his third home run in four games since returning from surgery, to open the scoring in the fourth. Merrifield homered two innings later.Those were the blemishes during an otherwise solid night for Chicago righty Michael Kopech (4-7), who spaced two runs and six hits in seven innings with one walk and three strikeouts.

The Arizona Diamondbacks traded right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for third baseman Emmanuel Rivera on Monday.Weaver, 28, made 12 appearances (one start) for the Diamondbacks this season and went 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA. In his three-plus seasons in Arizona, he went 9-19 with a 4.72 ERA.The former first-round draft pick was selected by the Cardinals back in 2014 with the 27th overall pick. He spent the first three seasons of his career in St. Louis.

The Seattle Mariners sent left-hander Anthony Misiewicz to the Kansas City Royals on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.The Mariners designated Misiewicz for assignment Sunday.

Salvador Perez hit a go-ahead three-run homer with one out in the ninth inning off Clay Holmes and the visiting Kansas City Royals rallied for an 8-6 victory over the New York Yankees Sunday afternoon to snap a five-game losing streak.The Royals blew a late lead for the second time in the four-game series, but this time they were able to recover and earned their second win in 57 games when trailing after eight innings.Whit Merrifield started the comeback by getting a walk and rookie Bobby Witt Jr. reached when he was hit in the hand.Perez then gave the Royals an 8-6 lead by hammering a 1-2 sinker from Holmes (5-2) onto the netting above Monument Park in center field.Before Holmes blew his third save in 20 chances, Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer off Dylan Coleman to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead in the seventh, and Hunter Dozier opened the eighth with a homer off Ron Marinaccio to pull the Royals within 6-5.Taylor Clarke (2-1) got the final six outs. After getting two groundouts in a perfect eighth, Clarke held on in the ninth.Clarke allowed a single to DJ LeMahieu, retired MLB home run leader Aaron Judge on a long fly ball, walked Rizzo and ended the four-hour marathon by retiring Gleyber Torres.Kyle Higashioka hit an RBI single and LeMahieu hit a two-run homer to start the comeback in the fifth off Zach Greinke, but the Yankees ultimately fell to 55-2 when leading after eight. New York was unable to get its 70th victory and major league-leading 30th comeback victory.

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer in the second inning, the 200th of his career, and the host New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-2 on Saturday afternoon.Judge hit his 42nd home run of the season when he connected on a 2-2 fastball from Jonathan Heasley and parked it in the right-field seats to give the Yankees an early 4-0 lead.It was Judge's 12th home run in his past 14 games and fourth of the series. He hit a game-ending homer off Scott Barlow on Thursday, then capped an eight-run eighth inning with a grand slam Friday after reaching 40 homers earlier in that game.Judge reached 200 homers in his 671st career game. The only player to get there quicker was Ryan Howard, whose 200th career homer occurred in the first baseman's 658th career game back in 2009.Judge reached base in his first four plate appearances Saturday before flying out in the eighth. He singled and scored on a double by Gleyber Torres in the first and drew walks in the fourth and sixth after his latest homer.DJ LeMahieu led off the game for the Yankees with a home run as New York capitalized on three Kansas City errors to pull away.LeMahieu also had an RBI single in the fourth after rookie shortstop Maikel Garcia dropped a pop up by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Whit Merrifield had a throw from third baseman Nicky Lopez go off his glove on a force play.Kiner-Falefa also scored in the sixth on a throwing error by Royals catcher Salvador Perez. Kiner-Falefa opened the sixth inning with a walk, was balked to second by Josh Staumont, stole third and scored when Perez's throw sailed into left field.

Aaron Judge belted his major-league-leading 40th home run of the season on Thursday, joining an exclusive club of New York Yankees who have reached that milestone by the end of July.Judge hit a two-run shot against the Kansas City Royals' Kris Bubic in the third inning at New York.Only Babe Ruth, who had 41 homers before August in 1928, and Roger Maris, who had 40 by the end of July in 1961, previously accomplished the feat for the Yankees.

Aaron Judge became the first player this season to reach 40 homers and then capped an eight-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the New York Yankees rallied for an 11-5 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.Judge reached 40 homers by hitting a 449-foot two-run shot to left field in the third. The slugger then slammed his fourth career grand slam when he hit a first-pitch changeup to the short porch in right field.Judge's drive against Jackson Kowar gave the Yankees an 11-5 lead and marked his major league-leading ninth multi-homer game this season.Judge set a team record for multi-homer games in a season, breaking the previous mark held by Gleyber Torres (2019), Alex Rodriguez (2007), Mickey Mantle (1961) and Babe Ruth (1927).Before Judge's second homer in the eighth inning, the Yankees tied the game on an infield single by newcomer Andrew Benintendi and a bases-loaded walk by Aaron Hicks off Scott Barlow (4-4). New York took a 6-5 lead when Isiah Kiner-Falefa extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single to left and Jose Trevino made it 7-5 on an RBI groundout.New York's 29th comeback win occurred after Kansas City rookie shortstop Maikel Garcia booted a potential double play grounder by Josh Donaldson.Before pulling off their latest comeback, the Yankees took a 3-0 lead on a solo homer by Anthony Rizzo in the first inning and a two-run drive in the third by Judge, whose game-ending homer off Barlow gave New York a 1-0 win Thursday.Judge joined Roger Maris (1961) and Babe Ruth (1928) as the third Yankee to reach 40 homers by the end of July, according to MLB.com.

The Kansas City Royals activated star catcher Salvador Perez from the injured list prior to Friday night's game against the New York Yankees.Perez is batting third and serving as the designated hitter on Friday at Yankee Stadium.Perez last played June 21 and underwent surgery on his left thumb on June 24. His initially recovery projection was eight weeks but he beat that timetable by three weeks."At that point, I think we take whatever we think our preconceived idea was of how long it should take and throw it out the window," Kansas City manager Mike Matheny told reporters prior to Friday's game.Perez, a seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, is the face of the franchise.Perez, 32, reached the majors with Kansas City in 2011. He was World Series MVP in 2015 when the Royals beat the New York Mets to win the crown."He's the heart and soul of our club," Matheny said. "We're really fortunate to have him back."We're talking about a guy who controls a clubhouse. We need that from some of your veteran players. Guy who goes about his business how you want to be emulated from everybody. Also, the fact that he's really good."

Aaron Judge hit a game-ending homer with one out in the ninth inning as the New York Yankees eked out a 1-0 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.Judge won it when he lifted a first-pitch fastball from Scott Barlow (4-3) off an advertisement in the back of the visiting bullpen beyond left-center field. It was the third career game-ending homer for the slugger, who also walked off the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros earlier this year.Judge's major-league-best 39th homer and sixth in seven games occurred after Yankees newcomer Andrew Benintendi capped an 0-for-4 debut by fouling out to left field.Benintendi was acquired late Wednesday night from Kansas City for three minor league pitchers after flying to New York with the Royals. He struck out in his first at-bat, then grounded out in his next two plate appearances before the ninth.The Yankees won for the sixth time in their past 16 games after getting swept in a two-game Subway Series by the host New York Mets.Kansas City's Brady Singer dominated the Yankees by throwing most sinkers and sliders in seven overpowering innings. He limited New York just to a Gleyber Torres single in the fourth inning while striking out 10 and walking one.Singer fanned a career-high 12 against the Tampa Bay Rays in his previous outing.

The New York Yankees added new acquisition Andrew Benintendi to the active roster Thursday, hours ahead of the opener of a four-game series against his former team, the Kansas City Royals.It's unclear if Benintendi will make his Yankees debut Thursday night in New York.The Yankees optioned outfielder Tim Locastro to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to clear room for Benintendi on the 25-man roster.Benintendi, acquired Wednesday night for three minor league pitching prospects, will wear No. 18 for the Yankees. He wore No. 16 since 2017 but that jersey number, belonging to Whitey Ford, is retired by the Yankees.Benintendi batted .320 with three homers and 39 RBIs in 93 games for Kansas City this season, and he has an AL-best 34 multi-hit games. When he makes his debut, he likely will appear in left field, where he started 88 times for the Royals in 2022.

The New York Yankees, smarting from getting swept by the rival New York Mets, made a move to bolster their lineup Wednesday night.Outfielder Andrew Benintendi is headed to the Bronx from the Kansas City Royals for three minor league pitchers.The Royals received right-handers Chandler Champlain and Beck Way and left-hander T.J. Sikkema in return. None of them have played above Class-A in the minors.Benintendi, 28, made his first All-Star team this year. He is hitting .320 with three homers, 39 RBIs, a .387 on-base percentage and a .398 slugging percentage through 93 games. The Cincinnati native is due to be a free agent after the season.He figures to take over as the starting left fielder for the Yankees, who have started seven players at that position this year. Joey Gallo, who has made the most starts at that spot, 40, is hitting .161 with 12 homers. Aaron Hicks, who has started in left 30 times, is batting .243 with six homers.New York center fielder Aaron Judge said of playing next to Benintendi, "I think he's going to fit right in."Benintendi broke into the majors in 2016 with the Red Sox and was part of Boston's 2018 World Series championship team. He was dealt to the Royals in February 2021, and last year he earned his first Gold Glove.In 712 career games, Benintendi has a .280/.352/.432 batting line with 71 homers and 372 RBIs.

Janson Junk threw five scoreless innings, Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Marsh and Phil Gosselin each had two hits, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the host Kansas City Royals 4-0 Wednesday afternoon.Following Tuesday's 6-0 win, the Angels have now won two consecutive games for the first time since wins over the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox on June 26 and 27.Junk, who was lifted after issuing a leadoff walk to begin the sixth inning, earned his first career major league win after going winless in four major league starts last season and one relief appearance this year.He struck out a career-best eight batters while allowing only the one walk and four hits while making 86 pitches.Andrew Wantz (sixth inning), Aaron Loup (seventh), Ryan Tepera (eighth) and Raisel Iglesias (ninth) combined for four scoreless innings to finish it off.It was the third time this season the Angels pitching staff has thrown shutouts in back-to-back games, and Wednesday was the club's 12th shutout overall.Royals starter Brad Keller (5-11) was perfect through three innings and allowed only a walk to Shohei Ohtani through four.

Jose Suarez threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings and Shohei Ohtani and Max Stassi homered to lift the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.Suarez, who pitched more than five innings for just the second time this season, gave up three hits, struck out three and walked one while making 78 pitches. Los Angeles' Luis Rengifo had two hits and two RBIs, and Magneuris Sierra added two hits.Angels relievers Jose Quijada and Elvis Peguero combined to limit the Royals to two hits over the final 3 2/3 innings to help the Angels win for just the fourth time in 19 games so far this month.Ohtani's homer with one out in the third inning off Royals starter Angel Zerpa gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. It was Ohtani's 21st homer of the season but just his fourth long ball in July.Ohtani, who hit 46 homers last season, is on pace for 36 homers this season.It was the only run Zerpa allowed going into the fifth, but after giving up hits to the first two batters of the inning, he tweaked his right knee on a pitch to Michael Stefanic and had to leave the game.Phil Gosselin, who began the inning with a single, later scored on a two-out wild pitch by Amir Garrett to put the Angels up 2-0, the run charged to Zerpa.