With a full month’s sample size of baseball, it’s become clear that the Royals have a significant flaw. When you think of the team’s lineup, you think of guys such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez who are off to blazing starts, but the bottom of the order is not carrying their weight.

Kansas City typically rolls out a lineup that sees Maikel Garcia leadoff, Witt Jr. bat second, Vinnie Pasquantino third, and then Perez in the cleanup. Those four stack up against most of baseball well in terms of the top of the order, but when you go from fifth to ninth, the lineup is grim. Let’s take a deeper dive into this issue and attempt to see if the problem is solvable or if this will be a season-long issue.

Outfield Woes

Unsurprisingly, the outfield is the main culprit in these struggles. MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel, and Nelson Velazquez have a combined batting average of .194. When your main four outfielders aren’t even hitting .200 for you, there’s a problem. Kyle Isbel at least gives you gold glove-level defense; the rest of these guys are actively hurting the team. I don’t know how much longer you can continue to pencil these guys in the lineup when you have a guy in Drew Waters currently batting north of .300 in Omaha.

The team obviously won’t stop playing Renfroe, given that they just signed him to a deal worth 13 million dollars, and that’s understandable. I think adding either Waters or Nate Eaton to the active roster at least gives you the flexibility to pinch-hit when one of the guys is having a rough night at the plate. Will the current group improve in May? I find it hard to believe it can get any worse, so sure. Improvement isn’t good enough; however, the Royals need a significant boost from all of these guys.

Second Base

The revolving door of the second baseman hasn’t worked out so far in 2024. Granted, Michael Massey missed a good portion of the month on the IL, but even in his time back, the results aren’t great. I’m willing to give Massey time to get back into the swing of things, but the other two have no excuse. Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson, both guys brought in during the off-season, have a combined batting average of .200. While it’s a tad better than the outfielders, these guys don’t possess any power at all. Between Massey, Frazier, and Hampsons combined 121 at-bats, they have accumulated zero home runs and just eight RBIs.

This translates to Michael Massey needing to step up. Hampson and Frazier are guys that should be platooned, not every day. If Massey elevates his play, the Royals can do that. If not, the poor plate appearances will continue to hinder.

Trade/Free Agent Possibilities

If this trend continues heading into June, the team may have no choice but to hit the phones. As we sit here, it’s unclear which teams will be buying and selling this summer. The Royals can’t go all in like they did in 2015, but if the team is still in the hunt as we approach the midway point of the season, I expect the organization to make a move. With how poorly the farm system is rated amongst the league, it may be challenging to acquire anyone, which segways us into the open market.

While there may not be any all-star players sitting around unsigned right now, there are players who I believe could help this club. Corey Dickerson would be an immediate upgrade with the bat, whether you want to play him in the field or DH. I also wouldn’t hate seeing if Jonathan Schoop had anything left in the tank at second. These aren’t perfect solutions, and they aren’t long-term ones, but they could help a lineup that is currently being carried by its first four hitters.

Can the Problem Be Solved With the Current Group?

I strongly doubt the front office will make any player moves within the next month. This raises the question: can this current group be the solution? I believe certain players can. Maybe I suffer from the highly-rated prospect bias, but I still have faith in Melendez. The ability is certainly there for MJ; he shows flashes of it frequently. The problem is that he never sustains it. I’d say that out of every player I’ve mentioned in this article, Melendez is the guy who I believe can develop into a key piece of the lineup.

Guys like Frazier and Hampson are what they are. You don’t expect much from them outside of the occasional nice night. For the Royals to achieve what they want this season, they need Massey, Isbel, Velazquez, and Renfroe to play up to their potential. Time will tell, but I find it hard to believe the Royals can sustain this level of winning if those players don’t get it going.