Kansas City Royals News Page 4 - MLB | FOX Sports

Nicky Lopez - Adds 11th steal Lopez went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Lopez has seen some increased freedom to run in August -- he's already recorded four steals in six games this month after logging just two thefts in all of July. He's gone 5-for-17 (.294) in August, putting his season slash line at .247/.305/.294 with 11 steals, 13 RBI, 39 runs scored, 11 doubles and two triples through 102 contests. Lopez should continue seeing steady playing time in the middle infield and occasionally at third base as one of the more veteran infielders on the Royals' young roster.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Isbel - Cranks third homer Isbel went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Isbel restored a one-run lead for the Royals with his fourth-inning blast. He recently endured an 0-for-18 skid across nine contests, but he's now gone 3-for-6 with a homer and a triple in his last two games. The outfielder is up to a .213/.247/.335 slash line, three long balls, 14 RBI, 16 runs scored and five stolen bases through 174 plate appearances. He can play all around the outfield, though the recently promoted Nate Eaton could push Isbel for playing time soon if the latter doesn't show improvement at the plate.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez - Opens scoring with 12th homer Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Melendez hit a leadoff homer for the second time in three games, and this one wasn't cheap. He took Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi deep on a 434-foot blast that left the bat at 107.9 mph. Melendez's power has translated well in the majors -- he's logged a 10 percent barrel rate while popping 12 long balls and maintaining a .429 slugging percentage through 77 contests. He's added a .231 batting average, 32 RBI, 31 runs scored, 14 doubles and two triples across 311 plate appearances, and the departure of Whit Merrifield has given Melendez a chance to be the everyday leadoff hitter.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Nick Pratto - Delivers game-winning hit Pratto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Pratto walked it off in the ninth inning with a two-out solo shot off Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock. After beginning his major-league career with three multi-hit efforts in his first five games, Pratto's cooled off noticeably. Saturday's homer made this just the second time the first baseman has hit safely in consecutive contests this year. He's slashing .196/.313/.393 with two long balls, five RBI, four runs scored, a triple and three doubles through 67 plate appearances. Despite the growing pains, the Royals are likely to give the 23-year-old an extended audition in a lost season for the team.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Dylan Coleman - Snags third win Coleman (3-1) pitched a perfect inning to earn the win Saturday over the Red Sox.

Impact Coleman did his part to keep the game tied in the ninth inning, and he became the pitcher of record when Nick Pratto hit a two-out, walkoff solo home run in the bottom of the frame. Since the start of July, Coleman has allowed four runs (three earned) in 13.2 innings while adding five holds as he continues to work his way into a higher-leverage role. For the season, he owns a 2.80 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 44:31 K:BB in addition to nine holds through 45 innings.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Lynch - Mixed results Saturday Lynch allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out six in six innings in a no-decision versus the Red Sox on Saturday.

Impact Lynch has showed increased control in his last two outings since returning from his second injured-list stint due to a blister. He hasn't walked a batter in his last 11.1 innings. Saturday's start was marred by the southpaw surrendering a pair of home runs, the first two he's given up in his last six outings. Lynch's ERA ticked up to 4.79 with a 1.52 WHIP and 86:33 K:BB through 82.2 innings across 17 starts. He's lined up for a difficult home start versus the Dodgers next week.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Pratto's 1st walk-off HR comes in Nick of time KANSAS CITY -- By the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Nick Pratto was ready to send his Royals teammates and the fans at Kauffman Stadium home w...

6 DAYS AGO • MLB.COM

Pratto's 9th-inning homer gives Royals 5-4 win over Red Sox

Rookie Nick Pratto hit a game-ending home run in the ninth inning, giving the Kansas City Royals a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox

6 DAYS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nick Pratto hits a walk-off home run to lift Kansas City Royals past the Boston Red Sox Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch pitched six innings for a no-decision.

6 DAYS AGO • KANSASCITY.COM

Bogaerts leads Red Sox against the Royals after 4-hit outing

The Boston Red Sox take on the Kansas City Royals after Xander Bogaerts had four hits on Friday in a 7-4 win over the Royals

AUGUST 6 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vinnie Pasquantino - Posts three hits in loss Pasquantino went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Impact Pasquantino had gone 3-for-14 across four games to begin August, with all of those knocks being doubles. He doubled his hit count for the month with a trio of singles in Friday's contest, making this his first multi-hit effort since July 30. The 24-year-old has had a relatively quiet start to his major-league career, slashing .234/.324/.347 with three home runs, six RBI, 10 runs scored and five doubles through his first 142 plate appearances. He's settled in as the Royals' primary designated hitter with some time at first base, though he shares that position with fellow prospect Nick Pratto.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Salvador Perez - Crushes another homer Perez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Red Sox.

Impact Since his return from the injured list July 29, Perez has crushed five homers and a double while racking up 14 RBI in eight contests. Despite the power surge, he's batting just .242 (8-for-33) since his return. For the season, he owns a .215/.252/.465 slash line with 16 homers, 48 RBI and 30 runs scored, but he's striking out at a career-worst 28.1 percent rate.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Zack Greinke - Can't complete five innings Greinke (3-7) allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4.2 innings, taking the loss Friday versus the Red Sox.

Impact Greinke threw 95 pitches (57 strikes) in another short outing. He's failed to complete more than five frames in each of his last six starts. Of the seven hits he allowed Friday, four were doubles, though he was able to keep the ball in the yard. Greinke's had his struggles this year, posting a 4.58 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 52:20 K:BB through 92.1 innings across 18 starts. That WHIP would be his worst since 2007, while the ERA is his worst since 2005. The right-hander is projected for a home start versus the White Sox next week.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Bogaerts has 4 hits, Red Sox beat Royals 7-4

Xander Bogaerts had four hits, Alex Verdugo doubled twice and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 7-4

AUGUST 6 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Box Score - August 06, 2022 - The Athletic Get real-time MLB coverage and scores as the Boston Red Sox take on the Kansas City Royals at 12:10am UTC on August 06, 2022. The Athletic brings you the latest stats, scores, and...

AUGUST 5 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Michael A. Taylor - Out of Friday's lineup Taylor is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus Boston, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact Taylor started the past six games and will head to the bench after going 6-for-22 with two walks and two runs during that span. MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Nate Eaton will start from left to right in the outfield.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Bobby Witt Jr. - Not starting Friday Witt is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Red Sox, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact Witt is 4-for-8 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and a stolen base in the past two games but will receive Friday off. Nicky Lopez will shift to shortstop while Michael Massey starts at the keystone.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Michael Massey - Records first big-league steal Massey went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Massey has yet to record an extra-base hit in his first five major-league games. He's hit safely in four of them, going 6-for-15, though it remains an extremely small sample. Massey will likely get a chance to compete with Nicky Lopez for playing time at second base following Tuesday's trade of Whit Merrifield to Toronto. Massey posted a .312/.371/.523 slash line, 16 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 77 RBI and 57 runs scored across 87 games between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha this year, so it appears his bat is pretty close to major-league ready.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez - Hits leadoff homer Melendez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.

Impact Melendez led off the first inning with a homer, his 11th of the season and first since July 25. That blast snapped an 0-for-12 skid the plate for Melendez. The 23-year-old natural catcher has had to move to the corner outfield with Salvador Perez back earlier than expected from thumb surgery. Since the start of July, Melendez is slashing .232/.300/.455 across 26 contests, though he's also struck out at a 34.5 percent rate in that span.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Clarke - Collects third win Clarke (3-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in one inning, earning the win Thursday over the Red Sox.

Impact Clarke took a blown save by allowing the tying run to score in the seventh inning. He ended up with the win after the Royals rallied for four runs in their half of the frame. Since the start of July, Clarke has allowed two runs with a 12:4 K:BB across 13 innings in 12 appearances. The right-hander has a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 41:8 K:BB, two saves, 10 holds and five blown saves through 45.1 innings this year. As long as he doesn't completely go off the rails, he should see mainly setup work over the last two months of the season.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

Royals Mailbag: Contention Timeline, Job Security and More The Royals have a lot of post-deadline questions, so let’s try to answer them in an ITR mailbag.

AUGUST 5 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Royals Mailbag: Contention Timeline, Job Security and More The Royals have a lot of post-deadline questions, so let’s try to answer them in an ITR mailbag.

AUGUST 5 • KANSASCITY.COM

Jonathan Bowlan - Healthy again at Double-A Bowlan (elbow) has given up 10 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and three walks while striking out nine across 7.1 innings in his two starts since being activated from Double-A North...

Impact After undergoing Tommy John surgery early last summer, the 25-year-old right-hander looks to be healthy again. He's been rusty in his first two outings since returning to action for Northwest Arkansas, with keeping the ball in the yard -- he's allowed four home runs in two starts -- proving to be a challenge in particular. Though Bowlan is one of the Royals' better pitching prospects, he likely won't be a realistic option to join the big-league rotation until 2023.

AUGUST 5 • ROTOWIRE

There's a lesson to learn from Eric Hosmer's return to Kansas City to face the Royals Eric Hosmer’s return to KC is a reminder of how long this Royals rebuild has taken. But a reminder of something else, too.

AUGUST 5 • KANSASCITY.COM

Salvador Perez's homer key part of 4-run inning in Royals win over the Red Sox Salvador Perez went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs for the Kansas City Royals in a 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadiu...

AUGUST 5 • KANSASCITY.COM