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First things first.
Maybe we should stop shoveling dirt onto Salvador Perez’s career, at least for now. Of course by now you know that Salvy tied George Brett’s franchise home run record (317) with a 2-run shot into right-center field in yesterday’s 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. It was a great moment at the K for 14,605 of the 14,606 fans in attendance. The one guy who maybe didn’t have a great time is the fan who went in the fountain to try and retrieve the ball. That’s a big no-no at Kauffman Stadium as I’m sure KCPD explained as they led the guy off in handcuffs.
Here’s how the historic homer looked if you missed it…
Back to that shoveling dirt thing. Sal will be the first to tell you he’s had a rough season. However, over his last 18 games Perez is hitting .265 with 4 HRs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of .844. That’ll play. Whether it will last or not remains to be seen, but it is great to see the big fella having some success.
I’ll have more on Salvy and what he has meant to his team, his city, and this fan after he breaks the record. For now let’s get back to the fast approaching trade deadline.
The deadline is 5pm CDT on Monday, August 3rd, that is less than two weeks away. The Royals are off that day, but it figures to be a day chock full of news for Royals fans.
Anne Rogers of mlb.com summed up the Royals deadline philosophy this way…
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This jibes with everything we have heard from GM JJ Picollo leading up to the trade deadline. In my opinion, if your name isn’t Witt, Jensen, Caglianone, or Perez, you should probably keep a suitcase packed.
Maikel Garcia - Garcia is hurt and won’t be back before the deadline so he won’t be moved. Most people consider him part of the “young core” of the Royals but I’m not so sure. A best case for the Royals would be for Garcia to come back in August and finish strong. That would prop his trade value back up and allow the Royals to consider offers for him in the offseason. Garcia is under contract through the 2030 season.
Do I think he actually gets traded in the offseason? No I do not. Do I think he should be made available to other teams? Yes I do.
Vinnie Pasquantino - Pasquatch would be a trade deadline candidate if he had been healthy and productive to this point in 2026. He hasn’t been either one of those things, so a trade won’t happen now. I do think Vinnie gets moved in the offseason. Really it depends on whether or not the team wants to keep Jac Caglianone in right field or move him back to his natural position of first base. Vinnie is under team control through the 2027 season.
OF Lane Thomas - This one is a slam-dunk, Thomas is getting moved before the deadline. He’s been pretty good since taking over CF for the injured Kyle Isbel. He has an .820 OPS since June 10th. Thomas is a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. He’s definitly getting traded, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Royals bring him back next year.
OF Starling Marte - Another veteran on an expiring contract, I think the Royals try to make a move with Marte. It takes two to tango, so we’ll see if he draws any interest from other clubs. He might make a decent addition to a deal involving other players in order to bump the return a bit.
INF Josh Rojas - Sure why not? Rojas is a veteran with some defensive flexibility and has had a couple nice moments at the plate with the Royals. Not going to bring much in return on his own, but like Marte could be a throw in on a deal.
INF Nick Loftin - Loftin’s top line numbers are decent, he’s hitting .247 with 32 RBI and a .332 on base percentage. The defense is not good, but Loftin has shown an ability to hit in high leverage situations this year. The Royals really like him and he won’t even be arbitration eligible until 2028 so I think Loftin stays put at the deadline.
2B Michael Massey - I think some teams will come calling about the 28 year old Massey. He’s hitting .270 with an OPS+ of 107, and provides excellent defense at second base. The position is kind of a wasteland around baseball, Massey would be an upgrade for a number of teams. He’s under team control through 2028, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Massey was dealt. He’s one of the few guys the Royals could “sell high” on, and that might not be a bad idea given his injury history.
Roster Shenanigans
SS Bobby Witt Jr has been out for a couple days with a back issue, and yesterday the Royals placed him on the 10 day injured list. They called up INF Andrew Velazquez, a career .189 hitter in 275 big league games to take Witt’s spot on the active roster.
In yet another kick in the nuts to the Royals pitching staff, RHP Stephen Kolek was transferred to the 60 day injured list. Kolek had been on the family medical leave list after the premature birth of his child. The Royals wanted him to get a start in Omaha before returning to the active roster, but Kolek suffered a “flexor strain” during the outing. This has Tommy John surgery written all over it.
I’ve been saying it for some time, and now I’m not the only one. I think the entire Royals training and medical staff and procedures need some serious scrutiny in the off-season. The number of players who have suffered setbacks during rehab assignments this year is astonishing.
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Up Next
Between now and the deadline, the Royals will play 10 games on the road. The trip starts with 4 in Detroit, followed by 3 in Minnesota and 3 in Colorado. Let’s look at the pitching matchups for the series with the Tigers…
Tonight - RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 1.93) vs RHP Troy Melton (5-1, 1.80)
This will be Melton’s first start against the Royals, he threw 3 innings of relief (5 hits, 1 ER) against KC last season.
Friday - TBD vs LHP Tarik Skubal (6-5, 2.83)
Yes, Skubal is one of the very best pitchers in baseball, but inexplicably he has struggled with the Royals. In 18 appearances (16 starts) against KC, he is 4-9 with an un-Skubal like 4.06 ERA. Most of that damage was earlier in his career, in 2025 he gave up 2 ER across 19 innings against the Royals. Salvy has raked Skubal, he’s 11-39 (.282) with 4 HRs against the lefty.
Saturday - TBD vs RHP Casey Mize (4-6, 2.79)
The Royals have had some success against Mize as well. He is 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA in 13 career appearances against Kansas City.
Sunday - TBD vs LHP Framber Valdez (5-7, 4.57)
Valdez has made 8 starts against the Royals, producing a 2-3 record and 3.05 ERA. He’s also one of the most hot-headed players in baseball, so watch for shenanigans to ensue if things don’t go the Tigers way in this one.
As you can see by all the “TBD’s” (to be determined), the Royals rotation is in absolute disarray. KC has won 5 of 6 since the All Star break, but I’d be surprised if they can do better than split the 4 game set with Detroit.
Thanks for reading DC, and let me know in the comments who you would trade before the deadline!
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