Kansas City Royals news: KC front and center in marquee WBC action

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had his World Baseball Classic coming-out party earlier this week. DeRosa said one of his biggest regrets from that WBC is that Witt didn’t play more. But it wasn’t as if there was an opening. U.S. shortstop Trea Turner was an all-tournament selection afte

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had his World Baseball Classic coming-out party earlier this week.

DeRosa said one of his biggest regrets from that WBC is that Witt didn’t play more. But it wasn’t as if there was an opening. U.S. shortstop Trea Turner was an all-tournament selection after batting .391 with five homers, including a go-ahead grand slam in the quarterfinal against Venezuela.

Witt’s time is now. He was second to Judge in the 2024 AL MVP balloting, fourth behind Judge, Cal Raleigh

and José Ramírez last season after “regressing” from 10.5 fWAR to 8.0 — still good enough for third in the majors.

On Monday night, Witt had one of the biggest stars in the game yelping like a Little Leaguer. Bobby Baseball has that effect on people. Fans. Teammates. Even Aaron Judge.

David Lesky also celebrated Witt’s performance on Monday.

Maybe the best part of all of this is that the world gets to see that Bobby Witt Jr. is superhuman. They should have already known given that he was the runner-up for the MVP in 2024 with one of the best seasons we’ve seen in recent memory, but you all know how things go for teams in small markets in baseball. Last night, he put on a defensive clinic, making a play in the hole we’ve seen multiple times from him, but something we still provide some sports yells when we see it.

MLB Trade Rumors wrapped up the Royals’ offseason for a one-shot look, including the overall takeaways.

Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle of the Royals’ offseason came not exactly off the field, but to Kauffman Stadium’s field itself. The team is slightly reducing the dimensions of the spacious outfield and lowering the wall from 10 feet to around 8.5 feet, all in the name of making the notoriously pitcher-friendly ballpark more conducive to power hitters. As Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters, the aim is “a very fair ballpark. We don’t want it to turn into a bandbox and every ball up in the air turns into a home run. We just want hitters to be rewarded when they hit the ball well, particularly in the gaps.”

Maybe there’s a metaphor here for the Royals’ offseason, as the team is also hoping that some minor adjustments to its roster can yield larger results. After winning 82 games in 2025, a return to the playoffs certainly seems plausible if the Royals can get more offense and the pitching stays healthy. Kansas City’s chances are helped by playing in the relatively weak AL Central. Giving Witt and Garcia more established lineup support would’ve been helpful, but the Royals are hoping that Caglianone and/or Jensen can deliver as much or more than the new additions.

Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone helped Team Italy’s rout of Team USA Tuesday night, with this bomb to right field.

Caglianone got the barrel to the baseball. He shortened his swing and pulled the baseball over the wall. The Royals are hopeful to see similar results this season. Caglianone will have an integral role within the club’s lineup. He is known for his elite power but is still developing consistency at the plate. “Out there, everyone is amped up and everybody is ready to go,” Caglianone said earlier this spring. “So you know, it’s like midseason-form baseball in March.” A home run off Yarbrough — an established MLB pitcher — is a good start. According to Statcast, Caglianone registered a 110.4 exit velocity on the homer. The baseball traveled 403 feet at a 22-degree launch angle.

Kameron Misner crushed this three-run home run to right field in the 6th inning to tie the game against the Seattle Mariners.

Kansas City is locked in for World Baseball Classic action.

On March 7, Team USA faced Great Britain in Pool B play. The game registered 2.98 million viewers across the country. It was the most-watched non-final WBC game on any telecast with peak viewership reaching 3.74 million viewers on FOX. Kansas City was at the forefront of the action. There was a large section of baseball fans who tuned in from the metro. KC registered a 2.71 rating (the percentage of households watching) live. That number trailed only Philadelphia (3.26 rating) as the top viewership market in the country. St. Louis came in third with a 2.40 rating.

I can’t help but see Steve Buscemi from Spy Kids 2.

CBS Sports names Kansas City as a possible landing spot for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar.

ClutchPoints makes the Rookie of the Year case for Carter Jensen in the AL.

Royals Keep looks at Daniel Lynch IV’s progression in the bullpen.

I have heard of Hall of Fame politics, but never politicians in the Hall of Fame.

Cal Raleigh responds to the handshake snub from Monday night.

Hunter Greene facing significant time on IL following right elbow surgery.

Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo scored 83 points Tuesday night, the second-most in NBA history.

Nate Silver and Silver Bulletin launch a new college hoops rating system.

The legend grows for Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti.

The Baltimore Ravens reportedly backed out of a trade for Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby.

Quarterback Geno Smith heads back to New York in a trade.