Kansas City Royals News

Starter Brad Keller had his first good outing of the season and the Royals defeated the Los Angeles Angels 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a three-game set in Kansas City.The Royals handed the Angels their first series loss of the season.Salvador Perez was 8-for-12 in the series, including a home run and two RBIs Wednesday.Keller came into the game with a 19.29 ERA after two starts. But on Wednesday, he allowed one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, improving to 1-1 on the season.The Royals also saw Hunter Dozier record his first two hits and Andrew Benintendi get his first extra-base hit and multi-hit game of the season.Griffin Canning (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Angels, who had been 7-1 against right-handed starters. Canning gave up two runs on six hits in five innings.The Royals had a great opportunity in the first, loading the bases on a single, a walk and catcher's interference. But Michael A. Taylor hit a line drive that struck baserunner Carlos Santana to end the inning.The Angels loaded the bases in the third with a hit, an error and a walk, but Keller struck out Mike Trout and Jared Walsh to get out of the jam.

Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez picked off the potential tying run at third base with two outs in the top of the ninth as the Royals defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Tuesday night.Greg Holland's 0-2 pitch bounced in the dirt but caromed off Jared Walsh at the plate before Perez picked it up and threw out David Fletcher before he could scramble back to the bag.Southpaw Danny Duffy (2-0) pitched six solid innings for the second straight start for Kansas City. He gave up one run on eight hits, walking just one and striking out six. Duffy pitched at least six innings in just two of 11 starts in 2020.The Angels are 0-3 against left-handed starters this season.Dylan Bundy (0-1) took the loss for the Angels. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits over seven innings.The Royals got a run in the first on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Santana. Andrew Benintendi took a one-out walk before Perez doubled him to third. It was Perez's fifth straight hit after going 4-for-4 Monday night.Santana drove in the Royals' second run in the third, again without a hit. Whit Merrifield and Benintendi led off the inning with singles. After Perez struck out, both runners advanced on stolen bases. Santana then grounded out to shortstop, scoring Merrifield.

Veteran right-hander Ervin Santana is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2019 after the Kansas City Royals selected his contract on Tuesday.The Royals added the 38-year-old Santana to the organization in December on a minor league contract and added him from the team's alternate training site.In addition, the team also recalled right-hander Tyler Zuber while moving first baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom to the alternate site and placing right-hander Josh Staumont on the team's injured list.Santana, 36, did not pitch in the majors in 2020. This offseason he pitched for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League.The 15-year veteran is a two-time All-Star who is 149-127 with a 4.09 ERA over 387 appearances (384 starts) for five teams, including the Royals in 2013. He went 9-10 in his lone season in Kansas City, with a 3.24 ERA in 32 starts and 211 innings. Santana has also pitched for the Los Angeles Angels (2005-12), Atlanta Braves (2014), Minnesota Twins (2015-18) and Chicago White Sox (2019).

Shohei Ohtani had three hits and three RBIs as the visiting Los Angeles Angels took advantage of three Kansas City errors, defeating the Royals 10-3 on Monday.Angels starter Alex Cobb (1-0) struck out 10 while allowing three runs on four hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He was almost unhittable early. All of his strikeouts came in the first five innings, most of them on his sinker. It was Cobb's first double-digit strikeout game since 2014.Mike Trout reached base for the 29th straight game dating back to 2020, hitting a home run in the ninth inning. The Angels have homered in all 10 games this season.Brady Singer (0-2) pitched well for the Royals, but his defense betrayed him. He allowed four runs, just one earned, in five innings, yielding seven hits. Singer struck out six without issuing a walk.Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez went 4-for-4 and collected his 1,000th career hit.The first four Angels runs scored without RBIs.Los Angeles got two unearned runs in the second inning. After Jared Walsh and Justin Upton opened the frame with singles, Jose Rojas hit a fly ball to medium-depth center. Both runners tagged and advanced. When Michael A. Taylor's throw hit Walsh and rolled into foul territory, Walsh scored, and then Upton scored when Singer's throw went past Perez.The Angels scored their third run in the third on a double-play groundout by Ohtani.

Michael A. Taylor scored the tiebreaking run on a throwing error by Garrett Crochet in the 10th inning Sunday afternoon as the visiting Kansas City Royals rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.The Royals overcame a pair of one-run leads before tying it with a ninth-inning long ball and then playing small ball to take the lead in the 10th.Taylor started the 10th inning as the designated runner at second, and immediately took third on a sacrifice bunt by Nicky Lopez.After Whit Merrifield was intentionally walked, Andrew Benintendi laid down a perfect bunt to the right side of the mound. Crochet (0-1) fielded the ball but did not appear to set himself well, and his throw home was in the dirt in front of catcher Zack Collins, allowing Taylor to easily score.Benintendi's bunt occurred after Kansas City forged a 3-3 tie on Carlos Santana's leadoff homer to center field in the ninth off White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. It was Santana's first home run of the season.Chicago had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth when Adam Eaton hit a pinch hit two-run homer inside the right field foul pole off Jesse Hahn.Benintendi also hit an RBI single in the eighth that gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead.Greg Holland (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for Kansas City in picking up the victory. Kyle Zimmer earned his first career save by striking out Eaton and Collins before retiring Nick Madrigal, stranding designated runner Nick Williams at second.

Saturday afternoon's game between the Kansas City Royals and White Sox has been postponed because of rainy weather in Chicago.The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on May 14, the next time the Royals visit Guaranteed Rate Field. The teams will play two seven-inning games, with one starting at 2:10 p.m. ET and the second at 8:10 p.m.

Lance Lynn hurled a complete game in pitching his second career shutout as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-0 in their home opener Thursday.It was the first complete game in the majors this season.Lynn (1-0) has yet to allow an earned run in two starts, covering 13 2/3 innings. He allowed five singles with 11 strikeouts and no walks vs. the Royals. He allowed just two runners to reach second base.Lynn also got 11 flyball outs. He didn't get his first groundout until the first out of the sixth inning.Lynn cruised from the start, retiring the first 12 batters he faced. When Salvador Perez got an infield single to start the fifth, followed by another single by Jorge Soler, Lynn got the next two batters to fly out. He then struck out Michael A. Taylor.Brad Keller (0-1) took the loss for Kansas City. After lasting just 1 1/3 innings on opening day, he only went 3 1/3 innings against the White Sox. He struggled to get ground balls, something he has excelled at throughout his career.

Jose Ramirez had a pair of two-run home runs as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2. Ramirez had one extra-base hit and had not driven in a run in his first four games.Emmanuel Clase, who threw nine of his 15 pitches over 100 mph, picked up the win. Nick Wittgren got the save.Greg Holland took the loss for Kansas City.Neither starter factored in the decision despite strong efforts. Jakob Junis made his first start of the season in what was expected to be a bullpen day for the Royals. He pitched five shutout innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out six and walked two. In eight appearances (six starts) in 2020, Junis' longest outing was 4 2/3 innings.Royals starters had an ERA of 12.66 in the first three games this season, but the starters in this series pitched a combined 11 shutout innings.Shane Bieber, who has never lost to the Royals, went 6 1/3 innings, striking out 12 and walking four. He allowed two runs on three hits. Bieber is 4-0 in eight career starts.Royals pitchers kept the Indians scoreless through the first 14 2/3 innings this series, allowing only five hits prior to Ramirez's sixth-inning home run.Salvador Perez gave the Royals the lead in the fourth with a home run. It was the second home run allowed this season by Bieber. In his Cy Young Award-winning 2020 season he gave up only 15 runs and seven of them came via home runs.

The Indians managed just three hits against three Kansas City pitchers.Danny Duffy (1-0) pitched six innings for Kansas City. He pitched six innings in just two of 11 starts in 2020.Duffy allowed just two hits, while issuing three walks recording and five strikeouts. He faced two baserunners only one time in six innings. The Royals needed a solid outing from a starter. Their starting rotation had a 12.66 ERA in the first three starts, even though starters went 1-1 in the series against Texas.Scott Barlow relieved Duffy in the seventh and retired all six batters he faced. He turned the ball over to Jesse Hahn, who picked up his first save of the season, the fourth of his seven-year career.Logan Allen (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Indians. He allowed just two runs on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. He left the bases loaded in the first and gave up two runs in the second. But he retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced.

Jordan Lyles held Kansas City's bats mostly quiet as the visiting Texas Rangers defeated the Royals 7-3 in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.The Rangers salvaged the final game of the three-game set after the Royals had scored 25 runs in the first two games of the series.Nate Lowe had a three-run home run in the third to provide all the offense Lyles would need.Lyles (1-0) gave the Rangers the start they needed after blowing 5-0 and 4-0 leads in the first two games of the season. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter.Lyles didn't allow more than one baserunner in any inning until the sixth, when he gave up a leadoff single to Andrew Benintendi and a two-run home run to Salvador Perez.This was supposed to be a short start for Lyles, as the Rangers were planning on piggybacking a reliever after a few innings. But Lyles, who was 1-6 with a 7.02 ERA and 1.56 WHIP last season, was so efficient that manager Chris Woodward let him continue to cruise.Brady Singer (0-1) took the loss for the Royals. He allowed six runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Michael A. Taylor replayed his outstanding Opening Day, hitting a home run and driving in three runs for the second straight game as host Kansas City defeated Texas 11-4 on Saturday afternoon. It was the second straight game in double figures for the Royals.Taylor's home run in the sixth got the Royals started on their comeback from a 4-0 deficit. His two-run, bases-loaded double in the sixth gave the Royals the lead.Mike Minor (1-0) picked up the win for Kansas City, allowing four runs on four hits in six innings.Josh Sborz (0-1) took the loss. He didn't retire a batter but gave up three runs on two walks and a hit. Kohei Arihara left with the lead for Texas in his major league debut. He allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, but the bullpen couldn't hold it.The Rangers opened the scoring in the first on a two-run home run by Joey Gallo. With David Dahl on second, Gallo launched a 450-foot blast into the batter's eye in center.

Michael A. Taylor made his Royals debut with three hits and three RBIs as Kansas City defeated the visiting Texas Rangers 14-10 Thursday on Opening Day.Taylor also threw out two runners at the plate.The Royals set a club record for most runs on opening day, clipping their previous high of 11 in 1979.Carlos Hernandez (1-0) picked up the win for KC, the first of his career. Kyle Cody (0-1) took the loss for Texas. Wade Davis picked up the save.Both starting pitchers labored from the start, drawing action in the bullpen in the first inning as both teams scored five times in the opening frame. Texas' Kyle Gibson didn't make it out of the first. KC's Brad Keller got just one out in the second before being removed.The Rangers struck first. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and David Dahl reached on doubles. After a walk to Joey Gallo, Nick Solak's infield hit scored one. Then Nate Lowe doubled to the opposite field, clearing the bases. Lowe scored on an RBI single by Eli White.The Rangers became only the second team since 1961 to open a season with six hits in their first six at-bats (1995 Braves), according to Elias Sports Bureau.It could have been worse for Keller. Andrew Benintendi leaped against the wall in foul territory to get the first out. Then Taylor threw out Brock Holt at home for the second out of the first inning.

The Kansas City Royals placed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on Wednesday, one day before the season opener against the Texas Rangers.The move is retroactive to March 30.Kansas City recalled infielder Nicky Lopez from the alternate training site in Arkansas to fill the roster opening.The 25-year-old Mondesi has a .251 career average and 113 stolen bases in 308 games over the past five seasons. He has 32 homers and 137 RBIs.Last season, Mondesi led the majors with 24 steals in the shortened season. He batted .256 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 59 games.Mondesi stole a career-best 43 bases in 2019 and had 32 thefts in 2018.

The Kansas City Royals selected the contract of right-hander Wade Davis on Sunday, guaranteeing the veteran's salary for 2021.Davis, 35, reportedly will earn $1.25 million guaranteed with an opportunity to earn an additional $1.125 million in incentives. He signed a minor-league deal in January with the hopes of securing his spot on the 40-man roster by the end of spring training.In 2020, Davis appeared in only five games with the Colorado Rockies. He gave up 10 runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for a 20.77 ERA.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez agreed to a four-year contract extension, the team announced on Sunday.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Royals, however multiple media outlets reported that the contract is worth $82 million. The deal, which begins with the 2022 season, also has a 2026 team option for $13.5 million or a $2 million buyout.Perez, 30, batted a career-best .333 with a team-high 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 37 games last season. He was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year after missing the 2019 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. could break camp with the big league club, general manager Dayton Moore said.In an interview with former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, Moore said the 20-year-old infielder is not being ruled out for the Opening Day roster."I think we're going to be very open-minded. When we came to Spring Training, we wanted to make sure we send a pretty clear message where we didn't put unrealistic expectations on the player and just kind of let him go out and play," Moore said. "Try not to create just kind of an aura around him in that clubhouse with a team that -- we have some young players, but we've got some veterans as well. You do not want to create an uncomfortable situation for him. So we were careful with our messaging, but he's come in here and just done a tremendous job. He's earned the respect of all his teammates, and now that he's been able to do that, I'm very much open-minded of him being on this team as we break this camp."Witt is hitting .333/.379/.667 with three home runs in 27 at-bats this spring.MLB.com ranks Witt as the No. 7 prospect in baseball and third-ranked infield prospect behind Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco and Detroit Tigers corner infielder Spencer Torkelson.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier agreed to a four-year contract extension that includes a fifth-year option, the team announced on Monday.Financial terms were not disclosed by the Royals, however ESPN reported the deal is worth $25 million and the option is for $10 million.Per ESPN, the deal would buy out two potential free agent years for Dozier and includes incentives and bonuses that could max out the value at $49 million over five years.Dozier, 29, batted .228 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 44 games during the shortened 2020 season.One year earlier, he batted .279 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 139 games. He also had 65 extra-base hits and tied for the major league lead with 10 triples.

The Kansas City Royals and third baseman Hunter Dozier are in agreement on a four-year, $25 million contract extension that includes a fifth-year option for $10 million, ESPN reported Sunday.The deal would buy out two potential free agent years for Dozier, 29, and includes incentives and bonuses that could max out the value at $49 million over five years, per the report.Dozier batted .228 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 44 games during the shortened 2020 season.One year earlier, he batted .279 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 139 games. He also had 65 extra-base hits and tied for the major league lead with 10 triples.

After an offseason full of trade rumors, Andrew Benintendi knows for sure that he will no longer be a member of the Boston Red Sox.The former American League Rookie of the Year runner-up is on the move as the Red Sox have agreed to a three-team trade, with the outfielder Benintendi being dealt to the Kansas City Royals, according to multiple reports Wednesday night.In exchange, the Royals will reportedly ship outfielder Franchy Cordero to Boston, in addition to trading outfield prospect Khalil Lee to the New York Mets. MLB Network also reports that the Mets will move right-hander Josh Winckowski to Boston as part of the maneuver. Other players to be named may also be part of the trade, per reports.The headliner is Boston's trade of Benintendi, 26, who once was considered one of the more up-and-coming players in baseball. He finished second to the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge in the AL Rookie of the Year race in 2017, thanks to a sterling full-season debut (20 home runs, 90 RBIs , 20 stolen bases) after playing 34 games in 2016.Benintendi set career highs in batting average (.290), steals (21) and doubles (41) in 2018 among several other categories while helping the Red Sox to a World Series title. After hitting 16 homers with 87 RBIs in that title-winning campaign, the left-handed hitter has hit just 13 long balls in the past two seasons since. The shortened 2020 season was a disaster for Benintendi, who hit just .103 with no home runs and a single RBI in 52 plate appearances -- finally being shelved late in the year with a rib-cage injury.

The Kansas City Royals signed right-handed pitcher Wade Davis to a minor-league contract.Davis, 35, spent the past three seasons with the Colorado Rockies after an All-Star season with the Chicago Cubs in 2017 and four seasons each with the Royals (2013-16) and Tampa Bay Rays (2009-12). A two-time All-Star as Kansas City's closer, he led the National League in saves (43) and games finished (63) with the Rockies in 2018.The Rockies released Davis on Sept. 21. He pitched in just five games last season, giving up 10 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.