As the Kansas City Royals tout the possibility of a new downtown ballpark and $1 billion baseball district, some have asked why the team’s presence at Truman Sports Complex, alongside the Kansas City Chiefs, has not spurred comparable redevelopment. Attendees at a recent Royals community meeting broke into applause after one person asked why no private projects have transpired at the 220-acre sports complex.

Which game are you interested in seeing?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several community groups are organizing in hopes of halting or ensuring representation in the decision-making process with the Kansas City Royals poised to abandon Kauffman Stadium for a downtown baseball ballpark. Representatives with Stand Up KC — which advocates for low-wage workers, including the push for a $15 minimum living wage — plan to attend a "public community meeting" Tuesday evening organized by the Royals at Plexpod Westport Commons. KC Tenants, which advocates for affordable housing in Kansas City, also plans to have a presence at the event.

MLBTR piece on the Royals' catchers

Best of luck in retirement, Phys!

The deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft has come and gone. The Cincinnati Reds made the decision to add six players, including Elly De La Cruz, to the 40-man roster. In addition, six players were also removed from the roster. Outfielder Aristides Aquino and right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman were among the players designated for assignment on Tuesday. With the current Reds roster sitting at 40, any moves the front office may want to make (including adding a backup catcher and an outfielder) would require an additional roster spot to open up. Friday is the non-tender deadline. Which three Reds players are still in danger of losing their roster spot?

Dustin Kelly was settling into his new job as the Chicago Cubs minor-league field coordinator when the unexpected opportunity arose. Kelly could not have expected team President Jed Hoyer to approach him about taking over as major-league hitting coach. Kelly’s two years in the organization set him up for the chance to take on the challenge. "The relationships that I built and some of the things that have gone on in the minor-league levels the last couple of years — it just seemed like a really good natural fit for me," Kelly said Wednesday.

The Kansas City Royals fell short in the final game of the season 9-2 against the Cleveland Guardians. Jonathan Heasley gave up six runs on the day, including four in the first inning. The playoff-bound Guardians won the six-game series. KC finishes the year with a 65-97 record missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season. While they avoided a 100-loss season, the Royals finished in last place in the AL Central behind the Detroit Tigers. They went an MLB-worst 26-55 on the road.

No one wanted to leave, but umpire Adrian Johnson eventually tossed them both, and Ray won the "standoff."

Simply put, it was a rough week for the Kansas City Royals. The boys in blue got swept by the Minnesota Twins and lost two of three to the Boston Red Sox to conclude their quick road trip. Let’s see what went wrong and if there was anything positive to take away. At the beginning of every week, Mark Van Sickle will dive into the latest developments with the Royals. Have something you want to be discussed?