Image credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. For the Kansas City Royals, the marathon looks to be taking its toll now more than ever this season. This month, the team’s offense has scored just 58 runs. That mark is good for 28th in the league. The team’s wRC+ in that span ranks 29th, and their .115 ISO ranks 28th. There isn’t much going right on the field for the Royals. Amid a five-game losing streak, the team’s lineup looks to be pressing too hard. At the same time, the team looks gassed — not a great combination to build upon. In the month of September, just four of the team’s hitters have been above league average. It’s easy to point to scapegoats such as Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson. Both players have seemingly become the target of many fans for much of the 2024 season. However, the team’s losing streak stems from season-long fatigue more than two players and lineup decisions.
Frazier, for example, ranks as the team’s third best hitter this month. He sports a 117 wRC+ this month despite just a .125 BABIP. He’s played in seven of the team’s last 21 games, but more so of late. With Hunter Renfroe struggling since his return from the injured list, Frazier has been worked in more and more. Tommy Pham had played each of the team’s last 17 games before his day off on Saturday. Then, of course, there’s Bobby Witt Jr. who has played in a league-leading 154 of 154 games this season. 34-year-old Salvador Perez last had an extra day off on June 15, a game he missed due to knee discomfort. With RBI aficionado, Vinnie Pasquantino, on the Injured List, the Royals have desperately needed more and more from their duo of stars in the heart of the order. Sadly, that need paired with the long haul of a 162-game season has led to a struggling offensive lineup for much of the month.
With now eight games to play, Matt Quatraro continues to balance playing time and matchups
Saturday’s lineup is set, with Hunter Renfroe in line to have the day off. Renfroe has been abysmal in September, slashing just .182/.206/.273 after starting the month on the injured list. With Pham sitting for the first time since being claimed by the Royals earlier this season, that leaves just Garrett Hampson, Dairon Blanco, and Adam Frazier as options in right field. Frazier has been nearly 30% better than the other two against right-handed pitchers this season, making him the clear option to start on Saturday. Manager Matt Quatraro faces perhaps his most difficult task this season as we head into the final week of 2024.
Quatraro is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He must balance playing time to keep the team’s key players fresh enough for a looming postseason series. At the same time, he needs to win just enough games this week to keep the team ahead of Detroit. Entering Saturday, the Royals still have a three-game* lead against the Tigers (*the Royals hold a two-game lead in the standings plus a tie-breaker). All isn’t doom and gloom for the Royals. They’d still be in the postseason if the season ended today. Without some additional rest for key starters, Kansas City is only going to struggle more against Baltimore or Houston next month.
As frustrating as it is to see the Royals offense fall apart down the stretch, the team will likely still make the playoffs. Manager Matt Quatraro is not getting fired. And without fresh enough bodies in the lineup, this team will likely be one-and-done in a key series against the Orioles or Astros. Fatigue over a full season is very real, and it’s currently Kansas City’s largest obstacle to finishing the season the way they’d like. Not Adam Frazier, not Garrett Hampson, and certainly not Matt Quatraro.