Royals Rumblings - News for May 2, 2023

Anne Rogers hints at some potential roster moves.

With versatile players Maikel Garcia and Samad Taylor performing well in Triple-A, the Royals must make a roster decision.

Reyes, who made the team as a non-roster invitee out of Spring Training, has two Minor League options remaining. Dozier, who is owed $16.75 million over this year and next, presents a tougher decision because of his contract. But it is a conversation the club is having, according to sources.

MLB.com writers reveal what each team learned from the first month.

Royals: Edward Olivares is an everyday player

Olivares showed flashes of his hit tool in 2021 and ‘22 before hamstring issues sidelined him for most of the season. The Royals are committed to seeing how he fits in their lineup for years to come, and so far, he’s shown how important he can be for the future of the club. The 27-year-old outfielder is hitting .289/.344/.482 and frustrated the Twins over the weekend with his ability to hit any pitch in any count in the zone. He’s made strides with his strike zone awareness, and the Royals feel good about his ability at the plate. They’ll keep working with him on his outfield defense and baserunning, with the hope that he can turn into a well-rounded player for them. — Anne Rogers

Craig Brown at Into the Fountains reflects on the first month of the season.

Meanwhile, the Royals are sleepwalking through the season. Their crime isn’t just that they’re bad at baseball, but they’re boring. It’s limp, lifeless, waving the white flag, baseball. It’s dreadfully dull.

The Royals need help. And it’s not coming. Yeah, there are a few players in Triple-A the Royals could—and probably should—promote, but those guys project as bit players. There doesn’t look to be a true impact guy in the bunch and that’s exactly what this team needs. Impact.

If we’ve learned anything from April it’s that the team was in much worse shape than perhaps any of us believed.

Alex Duvall at Royals Farm Report also has April thoughts.

For Bobby Witt Jr., I’m a little more concerned about how easy his fix will be. His swing is not great right now. He is getting absolutely abused by fastballs and his approach has never been his strong suit. Witt’s -6 Run Value is the second worst mark among all big league hitters according to Baseball Savant. Witt’s 5.6% BB% is the 36th worst mark of 205 qualified hitters so far. Witt showed some promise early on, and it is a 1000% correctable issue, I just don’t know how quickly he can make the adjustment. Swing plane corrections can take months of the offseason to correct. Asking Witt to fix his on the fly, in the middle of the season, would be a pretty tall order. Over the next few years, it’s not THAT concerning, yet…it’s just something that may suck for 2023.

Jacob Milham at Kings of Kauffman notes how the walk rates for Royals pitchers has improved.

Mike Petriello writes about which ballparks are toughest to hit home runs.

Aaron Judge lands on the Injured List with a hip strain.

Bryce Harper will return just 159 days after Tommy John surgery.

Matt Strahm is making the most of his opportunity to start.

The Guardians trade pitcher Konnor Pilkington to the Diamondbacks.

Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt smashes a tablet after an umpire’s call.

Trea Turner might have stayed in LA, but the Dodgers never made him an offer.

Baseball at Mexico City showed how the game is affected by even higher altitude.

What the longest game in baseball history says about the game today.

The pitch clock has made game time lengths rather predictable.

Could MLB front offices unionize?

The rebuilding NFL teams that won the draft.

How deepfakes could allow users to bypass biometric verification security.

Why is middle school so hard for so many people?

Why was Jerry Springer’s show so popular?

Your song of the day is Gordon Lightfoot (RIP) with The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.