Anne Rogers has an update on Maikel Garcia’s injury.
The Royals placed Garcia on the 10-day IL ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Tigers after the third baseman strained his left hamstring while running the bases Thursday against the A’s. An MRI revealed a Grade 1-plus strain, so Garcia could be out anywhere from three to six weeks. From a timing standpoint – given that there is just over a month left of the regular season – it could mean Garcia’s season is over, although the Royals don’t
want to quite rule that out yet.
“Kind of too early to tell,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ll see how he bounces back here in the first few days, first week, and then we’ll have a better idea. If I was handicapping it, probably not super likely. But definitely don’t want to rule it out. We’ll see how his first handful of days to a week go, see how quickly he bounces back.”
Sam McDowell writes that the public deserves a fuller picture of the downtown ballpark proposal.
City officials are determined to bypass a vote. That isn’t justification to bypass the same requirement the residents already demanded.
This stadium deal appears to be a sweetheart deal. They all are. The economic studies have been clear on that.
The presentation of the agreement could acknowledge that, or at the very least stop stumbling to dispute it, and then include a fuller transparency. Which is this: Kansas City officials have not offered convincing evidence this is money well spent. They’ve instead determined it is money worth spending.
They should articulate that difference. It’s at the root of this entire conversation, yet publicly absent from it. As more than a bonus, it might even be exactly what resonates with the large group of people who have been eager to support the project but are frustrated by the lack of transparency in its presentation.
City Councilperson Crispin Rea defends his vote in support of funding for a downtown ballpark.
Vahe Gregorian talks to J.J. Picollo, who indicates there likely won’t be major changes to personnel next year.
And while he expects as usual to have candid talks with Quatraro after the season about their thoughts on his staff and where the team can get better, Picollo also said he didn’t expect any “wholesale changes” in that group.
The same can be said for Kansas City’s core of hitters, and his observations make sense.
While the Royals are going to need more starting pitching and Picollo called the bullpen “a major project for us this offseason,” he said, “I think with our position players, there’s less uncertainty.”
Yirsandy Rodriguez at Royals Keep looks at how Michael Massey is doing better by making less contact.
Now, even more unusual is how he is doing it. Usually, this type of adjustment should be linked to better plate discipline, a higher contact rate both inside and outside the strike zone, and perhaps fewer strikeouts. What if I told you that Massey has done the exact opposite? It seems crazy, but he has broken all of those standards: his Contact% has fallen from 81.7% to 73.7%, his O-Contact% from 71.9% to 49.1%, he has increased his strikeout rate (K% from 18.4% to 25.6%) and has reduced his swings inside the strike zone by 9.1 percentage points (70.9% vs. 61.8%) compared with last year.
MLB Pipeline lists one potential September callup for each team.
Royals: Lucas Braun, RHP (No. 16)
The 24-year-old righty was the main prospect return from the Braves in this month’s deal for Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter, and he’s been solid with two quality starts, each of which were six-inning efforts, in his first pair of outings with Triple-A Omaha. He works with the triforce of fastballs (cutter, sinker, four-seamer) and can generate whiffs off that with an 83-85 mph slider. There are six pitch types in total, none of which have been thrown more than one-quarter of a time, and with Kansas City in roster evaluation mode the rest of the way, it could be worth seeing how Braun’s mix works in The Show.
David Lesky wraps up Thursday’s win to sweep the A’s.
The Yankees sign former Royals reliever Eli Morgan to a minor league deal.
Rafael Devers homers in his return to Fenway Park.
The Mariners call up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson.
Boston’s Brayan Bello has gone from awful starter to dominant reliever this year.
The Astros may have been wise letting their biggest stars depart.
Is pitching “hard in, soft away” a good strategy?
Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg is reportedly a candidate for a job with the NHL’s Red Wings.
The Pirates extend their TV deal with SportsNet Pittsburgh.
The Tampa Bay Rays have reached a deal on a proposed stadium in Tampa.
The NCAA wins an important court case denying an extra year of eligibility to players.
Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx co-owner Marc Lore sells his controlling stake for $4.5 billion.
How is deli meat made?
A Chinese animated film allegedly made by just two people and subject to scathing reviews has become a box office hit.
The new live action Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show has a showrunner.
Your song of the day is Lou Gramm with Midnight Blue.
