KANSAS CITY ROYALS NEWS

Collin Snider - Snatches win Wednesday Snider (3-1) earned the win Wednesday, allowing a hit in one-third of an inning without giving up a run versus the White Sox.

Impact Zack Greinke wasn't able to complete the sixth inning, with Snider instead recording the last out. The Royals then pulled ahead for good in their half of the frame. Snider leads the Royals with six holds, and he's posted a 4.70 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB through 15.1 innings. He's given up runs in four of his eight appearances in May.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Emmanuel Rivera - Receives third consecutive start Rivera will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Impact Rivera will pick up his third straight start and is being included in the lineup for the seventh time in nine contests. With outfielder Michael Taylor (illness) heading to the COVID-19 injured list Thursday and with catcher Salvador Perez (thumb) having landed on the 10-day IL earlier this week, Rivera should hold down at least a part-time role for the Royals in the short term, especially if he continues to hold his own at the plate. In a small sample of 38 plate appearances this season, Rivera has gotten on base at a .316 clip while providing five extra-base hits.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Bobby Witt Jr. - Swats solo homer Witt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run -- his fourth of the season -- in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Impact The rookie delivered a modest .558 OPS in April, but he's begun to resemble the elite prospect he was billed as through the Royals' first 17 games of May. Over that three-week stretch, Witt is slashing .233/.292/.517 while providing all four of his home runs this month. He'll hit out of the No. 3 spot for the third game in a row in Thursday's series finale, with his ascension into a prominent spot in the lineup coinciding with Salvador Perez's (thumb) placement on the injured list.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Whit Merrifield - Heating up at plate Merrifield went 1-for-5 with an RBI and his sixth stolen base of the season in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Impact Merrifield's season-long batting average (.204) barely sits over the Mendoza Line, but after a brutal first month, he's at least started to settle in nicely at the plate. His base hit Wednesday extended his hitting streak to a 10 games, with the 33-year-old having slashed .372/.391/.558 with two home runs, two doubles, three stolen bases, 10 runs and 10 RBI over that stretch. He's since recaptured the leadoff job for Kansas City and once again finds himself atop the lineup for Thursday's series finale.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Michael A. Taylor - Officially placed on IL Taylor (illness) was placed on the COVID-19-related injured list Thursday.

Impact Taylor was a late removal from Wednesday's lineup after entering the COVID-19 protocols and he will now be away from the team for the time being while on the injured list. The Royals selected Dairon Blanco from Triple-A Omaha and he'll replace Taylor on the active roster.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Dairon Blanco - Contract selected by Royals Blanco's contract was selected by the Royals on Thursday.

Impact Blanco has appeared in 69 games at Triple-A Omaha since the second half of 2021, and he's hit .257 with 10 homers, 40 runs, 31 RBI and 22 stolen bases. The 29-year-old hasn't yet made his major-league debut but will provide outfield depth for the Royals after Michael Taylor (illness) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Carlos Santana - Resting Thursday Santana is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

Impact Santana will get a routine maintenance day with Kansas City concluding its series with Chicago with a day game after a night game. Hunter Dozier replaces Santana at first base.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez - Homers for second straight game Melendez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored against the White Sox on Wednesday.

Impact The long ball was no cheap shot -- it was an absolute bomb to left-center. Melendez has now gone yard in consecutive games, flashing the big-time power that shot him up the prospect lists last season. He did strike out a couple times, but that's a reasonable tradeoff in exchange for Melendez's power from the catcher position.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kansas City Royals veteran Zack Greinke praises rookie MJ Melendez's work at catcher Royals rookie MJ Melendez was so thrilled to get a compliment from Zack Greinke that he shared his excitement in a text to his father after...

MAY 19, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Kansas City Royals square off against the Chicago White Sox Thursday

The Kansas City Royals host the Chicago White Sox on Thursday

MAY 19, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Zack Greinke - Narrowly misses first win Greinke didn't factor into the decision during Wednesday's 6-2 victory over the White Sox, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Impact Greinke scattered his baserunners evenly across the 5.2 frames and let in a run during the second and fifth innings, but he departed before finishing the sixth and would have been victorious had he completed the inning. The 38-year-old has been solid at preventing runs with a 3.48 ERA and no more than three runs surrendered in all starts except one, but he lacks upside with only 18 strikeouts in 44 innings. He projects for a start against Arizona early next week.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Michael A. Taylor - In COVID protocols Taylor (undisclosed) was scratched from Wednesday's game against the White Sox because he entered MLB's COVID-19 protocols, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Impact It's unclear whether or not Taylor tested positive for the virus, but he'll be unavailable until he clears the testing protocols regardless. The 31-year-old is likely to land on the injured list ahead of Thursday's series finale versus Chicago. Kyle Isbel figures to see more run in the outfield during his absence.

MAY 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Witt homers off Giolito, Melendez connects as KC tops Chisox

Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez homered and fellow rookie Emmanuel Rivera hit a go-ahead triple, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Chicago White Sox 6-2

MAY 19, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Witt (436-ft. HR) sets tone as KC youth shines KANSAS CITY -- For the first time in the Major Leagues, the Royals’ top two prospects and keys to their future success homered in the same g...

MAY 19, 2022 • MLB.COM

Youth movement powers Kansas City Royals offense in 6-2 win over White Sox MJ Melendez, Bobby Witt Jr., Emmanuel Rivera and Kyle Isbel had two hits apiece as the Royals evened their series against the White Sox

MAY 19, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Michael A. Taylor scratched from Kansas City Royals' lineup for undisclosed reason Taylor played in both games of Tuesday’s doubleheader but was pulled from Wednesday night’s lineup.

MAY 19, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Michael A. Taylor - Scratched from Wednesday's lineup Taylor was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the White Sox for an undisclosed reason.

Impact Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a strikeout in Tuesday's doubleheader and was initially slated to start in center field and bat seventh Wednesday. However, Kyle Isbel will now shift to center field while Emmanuel Rivera enters the lineup at third base. It's not yet clear whether Taylor is dealing with an injury or whether he'll be available off the bench.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Isbel - Gets fourth consecutive start Isbel will start in right field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Impact The 25-year-old will be making his fourth consecutive start Wednesday, and he looks like he could get the chance to play regularly against right-handed pitching in the wake of Salvador Perez (thumb) moving to the injured list. With Perez out of commission, MJ Melendez will take over as the Royals' primary catcher, thereby allowing Hunter Dozier to see more work as a designated hitter or first baseman while Isbel picks up starts in the outfield.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Changeup: KC Royals' Tuesday night victory stood for just that, in more ways than one It was only one game, but the play of Brady Singer and MJ Melendez on Tuesday night was a vital moment for the Royals that could be a harbin...

MAY 18, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Vinnie Pasquantino - Showing power, patience in Triple-A Pasquantino is hitting .240/.362/.512 with eight homers and a 22:23 BB:K through 35 games for Triple-A Omaha.

Impact It's not a bad batting line, but the batting average certainly has to be considered disappointing for a guy with Pasquantino's contact skills. That said, he's sitting on a .226 BABIP, so he should be able to pull his average up as the season wears on. Right now, it looks like Pasquantino is likely to beat fellow Royals first-base prospect Nick Pratto to the big leagues, though the team seems content to wait for both of them to force their way up.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez - Homers in nightcap Melendez went 2-for-7 with a solo home run across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the White Sox.

Impact Melendez started both games at catcher -- Salvador Perez (thumb) was hurt late in the first game while serving as the designated hitter. With Perez going on the injured list, Melendez could have a chance to be the Royals' primary backstop for at least a couple of weeks. The 23-year-old top prospect has two RBI, two runs scored, a homer and a double through 11 games, posting a .233/.324/.367 slash line, as it hasn't been a smooth adjustment to major-league pitching for him. His homer Tuesday was the first of his big-league career.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Collin Snider - Allows run but earns hold Snider allowed a run on three hits in one inning, earning a hold in a 2-1 win over the White Sox in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

Impact Snider hasn't been efficient lately, allowing five runs over his last five innings, but he's managed to pick up three holds and only one blow save in that stretch. The right-hander has allowed just one home run in 15 innings this season while posting a 4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 12:6 K:BB, six holds and a 2-1 record through 17 appearances. He'll likely continue to see some high-leverage work, but Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont have shared the closing duties almost exclusively this year.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez hits first HR, catches both games of Royals' doubleheader Kansas City Royals rookie catcher MJ Melendez caught both games of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on May 1...

MAY 18, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Josh Staumont - Notches third save Staumont struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to record his third save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Impact Scott Barlow had pitched on three of the prior four days including Sunday and Monday, so Staumont got the call in the save situation and needed 16 pitches (12 strikes) to convert it. It's his first save since April 19, and the 28-year-old will remain second in line for ninth-inning duty as long as Barlow remains effective. On the season, Staumont sports a 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 14.2 innings.

MAY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Comparing the White Sox and Royals rebuilds With the White Sox in their contention window and the Royals trying to get back there, we take a big-picture look at the two teams.

MAY 18, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM