KC Royals: The best and worst 2021 roster additions

Two veteran roster returnees have been about average for the KC Royals in 2021.

Ex-Royals Mike Minor and Jarrod Dyson rejoined the club this season and, while they’ve added some value, both get a C+ for the first 50 games.

Minor pitched one season out of the bullpen for the Royals in 2017 before winning 26 games from 2018-19 as a starter for Texas, but was a combined 1-6 for 0-5 for the Rangers and Oakland last season. Kansas City signed Minor hoping he can rebound to his 2018-19 form and buttress and mentor its rotation.

He’s met some expectations by completing at least five innings in all but two of his 10 starts and wining three of his five decisions. But he’s inconsistent. He’s given up four or more runs five times and, until limiting Tampa Bay to just a run in five innings last Wednesday, carried an ERA over 5.00 for most of the campaign. (It’s 4.83 now). Minor is trending upward, though—although he gave up four runs My 21, he fanned nine while giving up only two hits and that one run last Wednesday, and held the White Sox to a run and struck out seven in seven innings May 15.

But until those good games occur more frequently, Minor gets a C+.

So far, Jarrod Dyson has been steady, but not stellar, for the KC Royals.

Kansas City had two main things in mind when it signed Jarrod Dyson during spring training. The Royals needed a backup outfielder with a decent glove and a speedster for critical late-game and extra-inning situations.

Dyson, a Royal from 2010-2016, checked, and continues to check, those boxes. He hasn’t committed an error through 20 games in the field (he’s appeared in 27 total contests), and he’s succeeded in three of four steal attempts.

His bat—he’s hitting just .222 through Saturday—is the only thing preventing Dyson from receiving something better than a C+. The Royals knew they weren’t getting a .300-plus hitter in Dyson, but he’ll need to be a bit better at the plate to improve his grade.