Royals Rumblings - News for June 15, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for June 15, 2021

Mike Matheny discusses Andrew Benintendi’s rib injury with Lynn Worthy.

“He had something grab when he threw yesterday with the ball off the wall,” Matheny said. “He’d been feeling a little bit of something for a while. Obviously, it wasn’t affecting his swing. On the throw, it grabbed him. He was fine last night. Woke up today and it wasn’t right. He had it X-rayed.”

Anne Rogers writes what it means to lose the red-hot Benintendi in the lineup.

“[The team isn’t] going to be happy that one of the guys who’s been in the lineup every day, and a big part of the lineup, isn’t going to be in there,” Matheny said. “But the message happens multiple times every year for every team: Here’s an opportunity for somebody to step up. Somebody’s got to take over. He’ll get back here. However long it is, it’ll be an opportunity for someone else to take advantage of it. Let’s go.”

David Lesky at Inside the Crown writes about the weekend, including Jackson Kowar’s rough start.

This one feels like something is going on between the ears, whether it’s being overwhelmed by the stage or something less, but he’s not trusting his stuff and it’s not allowing him to succeed.

I don’t know what the answer is. I think he either has to go back to Omaha or go to the bullpen and pitch only in blowout situations to get his feet under him. If you think he has nothing left to learn in Omaha, then I guess the bullpen is the answer, but you can’t leave him in to get his brain beat in as a starter while he’s figuring things out.

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy chimes in on Daniel Lynch, and whether Bobby Witt, Jr. could be promoted soon.

The shortstop has increased his numbers to .256/.336/.529 since a slow start. The improvement needs to come in contact rate as the 17% swinging-strike rate is too high at the Double-A as that will balloon to an unsustainable rate at the MLB level. We’re learning that the power is legit, though, and we’ve already seen that the defense is outstanding. Where he stands a month from now should be a better indicator of how well he can make adjustments. If he makes that adjustment do they send him to Omaha? I’m getting less and less intrigued by that idea. The velocity isn’t there and I don’t know what he learns by going there. In past years I would have thought it was a mistake to pass Omaha and Triple-A up but the quality of pitching doesn’t appear to be at the level to challenge someone with his talent level and power. It could just turn into a homerthon for him.

Your Adalberto Mondesi update.

Bradford Doolittle at ESPN lists what each team should do at the trade deadline, and he has the Royals as sellers.

Top trade candidates: Carlos Santana, Jorge Soler, Danny Duffy

The Royals haven’t thrown in the towel on this season. Still, while they’ve now graduated all of their advanced rotation to the majors, they haven’t necessarily hit the ground running as big leaguers. If that continues, this season becomes more about letting Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic take their lumps in preparation for a postseason push in 2022.

Paul Boyd writes about the hard work Nick Pratto has put in.

Pratto acknowledged that year was a challenge. He had signed a $3.45 million contract and was rated as the Royals’ No. 1 prospect by Baseball America in 2018.

“It tests you,” Pratto said. “That was really the first time I had struggled for an extended period of time. That really motivated me, really drove me into the offseason with this sense of curiosity. Let’s break it down and see what went wrong.

“Looking back on it, it was something I needed. Maybe not in that large a dose. I think I needed to be checked.”

Kevin Goldstein at Fangraphs has a chat about Pratto.

Bret: How much are you buying into Nick Pratto’s monster year to date?

Kevin Goldstein: Much of it, yes. He’s made a real swing adjustment and he’s hitting far more balls in the air, using the center of the field more and tapping into the power.

MLB will unveil new punishments to crack down on foreign substances on the ball, including a 10-game suspension.

What will the crack down mean for minor leaguers, who are encouraged to use sticky stuff?

A former Angels clubhouse attendant fired for helping create foreign substances speaks out.

White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez is cleared to resume baseball activities.

Indians ace Shane Bieber lands on the Injured List with a shoulder injury.

Ben Clemens at Fangraphs shows the worst bunts of the year, including Nicky Lopez’s triple play.

Astors GM James Click says the luxury tax is a consideration at the trade deadline, but should it be?

‘Do the Brewers have the best rotation trio in baseball?

Bartolo Colon tosses a complete game in the Mexican League.

Sheryl Ring at Beyond the Boxscore picks apart the lawsuit against MLB for moving the All-Star Game.

The biggest questions surrounding the proposed college football expansion.

The Olympics want to make sure athletes use their free condoms for socially-distanced sex only.

The pandemic has caused the Girl Scouts to have millions of unsold boxes of cookies.

Fans aren’t willing to pay for exclusive access to social media influencers.

The pandemic tattoo craze is here.

Your song of the day is Jack White with Sixteen Saltines.