The Royals announced this week that Jonathan India will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing labral surgery on his left shoulder, an injury that has seemed to plague him since last summer. The Royals originally acquired India hoping he would be the top-of-the-order hitter who could get on base, but his numbers fell off significantly after arriving to Kansas City.
India was a below replacement level player for the Royals over the last two years, so almost anyone replacing him would serve
as an upgrade. Michael Massey will certainly get first crack at filling in at second base. The 28-year-old was the starter in 2024, when the Royals reached the playoffs, but has struggled to stay on the field. He shows good power potential and exhibits spectacular defense at times, but is a very low on-base player with a career line of .243/.282/.385. This will likely be a make-or-break opportunity for him, as he will be eligible for his second year of arbitration this offseason.
The Royals could also use former first round pick Nick Loftin at second base, particularly against tough lefties. Loftin has showed the kind of plate discipline in the minors that Massey lacks, but has hit just .224/.301/.327 over parts of three big league seasons. There’s a chance he takes the Whit Merrifield career path, but his destiny seems to be a utility bench player.
Should the Royals view this as an opportunity? The team has been seeking to lengthen the lineup, and while the development of Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone have done that so far, the team has still struggled at times on offense. Could a replacement for India come from outside the organization?
The league is full of large market teams that have stumbled out to terrible starts. Two managers have already been fired – Alex Cora in Boston and Rob Thomson in Philadelphia – and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is on the hot seat. If these teams can’t claw their way back into the race, they could punt on the season and begin selling off assets. Sure, the Royals aren’t much better, but they’re only 2.5 games out of first place right now. Thanks for the mediocrity, AL Central Division!
Bryson Stott has another year of club control in Philadelphia, so the Phillies seem likely to hang onto him unless they blow the entire roster up. However Edmundo Sosa is a free agent this winter and hit .276/.307/.469 with 11 home runs in 89 games last year. He has generally been a league-average hitter with good defense and could be valuable in a larger role. The Phillies also have infielder Otto Kemp, who has raked in Triple-A – he hit .310/.417/.570 with 16 home runs in 74 games last year – but has yet to see that translate at the big league level. The 26-year-old might be a AAAA guy, but the acquisition cost may not be that high.
The Royals almost certainly don’t want to take on the large contract of struggling Mets second baseman Marcus Semien. But there have been rumors they have been interested in Brett Baty before. The 26-year-old is struggling this year (as are all Mets hitters), but hit .254/.313/.435 with 18 home runs last year. He has spent most of his time at third base, but did play 57 games at second last year, and he could provide some positional versatility.
And of course, the Royals could acquire Adam Frazier for a third consecutive year. The Royals just saw the former All-Star in the Angels series, but with his team floundering in the standings, they could look to move the vet. Frazier is off to a good start, hitting .265/.357/.429, and as we saw last summer, the acquisition cost is not likely to be high.
How do you think the Royals should fill the hole at second base? Is it Michael Massey’s spot to lose? Should the Royals be aggressively seeking an upgrade?
