Anne Rogers writes about how Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic are focusing on staying healthy.
Everything is about staying on the mound this year.
“We want to be out there,” Bubic said. “Cole is as competitive as it gets as well. We want to be out there playing with our guys every fifth day. We want to be part of it. I know we fell short of the playoffs last year, but we feel like there’s no reason we can’t get there again and succeed.”
She also has the early reports on who is in camp.
Jaylon Thompson is in camp and he talks to Kansas City native Alex Lange, now in camp as a reliever.
“Oh man, we used to go to games for five bucks,” Lange said. “Park for five bucks, eat for a dollar and go in there for dollar buck night back in the day. You know, Jermaine Dye, Mike Sweeney and all the boys back then. We followed the 2014-15 teams through their runs while in high school. It was pretty special. “So, I mean, we were going to 10 games a year just enjoying it and having a good time.”
He also writes about the setbacks that cost James McArthur all of last season.
McArthur missed the entirety of Royals spring training — and ultimately the season — in 2025. The medical staff worked to understand what led to his continued discomfort. At first, McArthur had one of his screws removed due to the belief it was in a bad spot.
“I was super puffy,” McArthur said. “I don’t want to get too deep into it, but it’s just like when they saw the image, they could see stuff in my elbow and they were like, ‘This isn’t normal.’ And their only thought or best guess through imaging was that it was like bone chipping from the screw head that was sticking out of the bone just a touch.”
Pete Grathoff writes that Bobby Witt Jr.’s puppy was one of the first ones in camp.
David Lesky projects which pitchers will make the roster.
I think there are some definite trade candidates in here. I know I’ve been saying they might move Schreiber all winter, but I just remember Picollo talking about Mears the same way he talks about Schreiber and think that the bullpen probably only needs one of them. I mentioned Avila and Cruz, but Neris is an interesting pickup on a minor league deal. He struggled last year with three teams, pitching to a 6.75 ERA, 5.35 FIP and 4.59 xERA. Maybe he’s toast as he’s entering his age-37 season, but he still got plenty of strikeouts. My guess is he doesn’t show enough, but you never know, I guess.
In his annual State of the City address, Mayor Quinton Lucas pledged to get a stadium deal done with the Royals this year.
“We will get a deal done in 2026 that’s fair and transparent for our taxpayers, our future, and our team,” Lucas said….
Lucas said he wouldn’t speak for the Royals, but said he thinks downtown checks all the boxes.
“We’ve kept strong relationships with the Kansas City Royals throughout the process,” he said. “So I have to say, I will never speak for them. I think they have important decisions to make, but I think in making a transformational decision, not just for the team but for this entire region.”
Philip Ruo at Royals Keep wonders if the Royals have done enough to compete in 2026.
Patrick Glancy at Powder Blue Nostalgia writes about the Royals games he attended in 2025.
The Cubs sign former Royals pitcher Kyle Wright to a minor league deal.
The Nationals sign pitcher Miles Mikolas to a one-year, $2.25 million deal.
The Orioles sign pitcher Chris Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5 million contract.
The Twins sign reliever Liam Hendriks to a minor league deal.
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday has a broken hamate bone and will miss the start of the season.
Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll also has a broken hamate.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor will have surgery on his hamate bone.
What is the hamate anyway?
The Astros and Pirates have discussed a Joey Bart trade.
The young players who could be getting contract extensions soon.
Carson Roccaforte is among the hitters whose ZIPS projection has improved the most over last year.
Phillies pitcher Zach Wheeler keeps his surgically removed rib as a memento from his thoracic outlet surgery.
Iowa lawmakers make their pitch to lure the Bears from Chicago.
Candace Parker, Blake Griffin, and A’mare Stoudamire are among the finalists for this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame class.
NASA finds Jupiter is a tiny bit smaller than we previously thought.
Ring’s Super Bowl ad has sparked concerns about privacy and surveillance.
Your song of the day is Pavement with Rattled by the Rush.
