Royals Rumblings - News for May 31, 2022

Royals Rumblings - News for May 31, 2022

Lynn Worthy explains how the Royals might deal with the rotation with Zack Greinke out.

If they stay on turn, Daniel Lynch will pitch Tuesday followed by Brad Keller on Wednesday and Brady Singer on Friday. They could make a move to fill the rotation spot prior to Saturday’s game.

The Royals, however, have preferred this year not to keep starters on regular rest when given the choice of giving them an extra day off. By the time the Royals need a fifth starter, pitchers Jackson Kowar, Kris Bubic and Carlos Hernández will all be options to be recalled from the minors.

Kyle Isbel explained why he has been out.

“It ended up being something I ate,” Isbel said on Monday. “But I went to BP, stretched, and felt fine. I felt a little light-headed and hungry, kinda. So I ran back in to grab a sandwich and ate it. Then after that, I didn’t feel good.”

While Isbel spoke with reporters, Royals iron man Whit Merrifield poked fun that Isbel needed four days off because of a “tummy ache.” Merrifield has played in 516 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors.

Anne Rogers explains the flurry of transactions.

Isbel will likely slot back into the Royals’ lineup in the coming days, once he feels ready enough to man center field. Hicklen, who was called up Thursday to replace Isbel, will stay on Kansas City’s taxi squad in Cleveland. The 26-year-old outfielder is no longer is on the Royals’ 40-man roster, but the organization did not have to put him on waivers like it typically does when someone is taken off the 40-man because Hicklen was Isbel’s COVID-19 replacement, a rule MLB has continued since 2020.

Alec Lewis has a mailbag column, and of course, fans ask about why Carlos Santana is still on the team.

Multiple opposing scouts have asked this same question: Why? Why is manager Mike Matheny continuing to pencil Santana into the lineup nightly? The answer reverts back to money...

He has only continued to struggle in 2022, yet the Royals slot him in the lineup even though first-base prospects such as Nick Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino are ready in the eyes of many. The reason lies in the Royals wanting to recoup something in return for Santana before the trade deadline.

David Lesky at Inside the Crown still doesn’t understand how Cal Eldred has his job.

I don’t think replacing Cal Eldred is going to instantly turn them into a top-five pitching staff, though the offense by wRC+ at least is now a top-10 unit. Some of that is simply that there’s a lot of work to be done and it’ll take time. Some of it is that they’re lacking some talent, but also maybe they aren’t. Daniel Lynch and Brady Singer are pitching generally well. Keller had a tough start this weekend, but he’s a solid pitcher. Greinke is struggling, but if there was one pitcher I’d guess could figure it out, it’d be him. And the bullpen is one we were all excited about a month ago. So maybe there is a quick-ish turnaround.

But they continue to sit on their hands.

The Royals have hit rock bottom.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter tries to make sense of how the Royals are handling Vinnie Pasquantino.

Jordan Foote at Inside the Royals thinks the Carlos Santana experience should come to an end soon.

Tyler Zuber talks about his baseball card collection with Prospects Live.

Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez crushes a 496-foot home run.

Despite the Phillies going into a nosedive, manager Joe Girardi is not worried about his job security.

How the New York Mets are navigating an unpredictable time for their rotation, and what it could mean at the trade deadline

The Tigers call up Roger Clemens’ son Kody.

The White Sox place pitcher Dallas Keuchel on release waivers.

Baseball’s home run rate has its biggest drop in 34 years.

The Tommy Pham/Joc Pederson incident reveals the dark side of sports betting.

Former lefty reliever Daniel Herrera is pursuing a career as an artist.

The Tennessee Volunteers are the #1 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament.

Did Jimmy Butler make the right call in pulling up for a three in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals?

Maryland men’s lacrosse completes an undefeated season to win the NCAA title.

A Trillion Trees is a great idea that could be a climate change distraction.

Ticks are spreading more in the U.S. than before.

The top 20 dinosaur movies, ranked.

Your song of the day is Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers with Don’t Come Around Here No More.