2026 Royals schedule reveals nightmare month that could make or break their season

While the Kansas City Royals' current focus may be on their pursuit of a second consecutive postseason berth, Tuesday brought a further glimpse into the Royals competitive window as the 2026 MLB schedule was revealed.

Whether or not they will be looking to make their third consecutive postseason or make their return to October after a 2025 hiatus remains to be seen. What we know for certain though is that the Royals will have a tall task ahead of them in the early months of the season - specifically in May.

2026 home schedule in the month of May could cause the Royals major headaches

Every season has it's challenging stretches from top to bottom, however for Kansas City, May could be a particularly challenging month.

From top to bottom it's hard to look at the season's second full month and not see more than a single series of competitive relief for the Royals.

The only series that Royals can pencil in that month as a sweep opportunity is a three-game set against the rebuilding Chicago White Sox from May 12 to 14 - and if Monday's loss proved anything, even that could come with it's challenges.

Road games are the trickier contests for any teams, given the fact they're in unfamiliar surroundings. For the Royals, the fact that they have to open that month in Seattle against the pitching-heavy powerhouse Mariners is not ideal. Then, after their favorable White Sox series, they have the always tricky I-70 series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. They then hit the road again at the end the month, traveling to Arlington to face the wily Rangers.

That's half of the monthly slate is already tricky enough, but arguably the biggest takeaway from this month of action is how little of an advantage their home schedule poses.

May will see five postseason contenders from this season roll into town. After returning from Seattle at the start of the month, it's an all AL Central week In Kansas City, with the Guardians coming to town for four followed by this year's American League leading Detroit Tigers for three. Then, after hitting the road for six games, the Royals will return to Kauffman Stadium for a nightmare nine-game home stand against the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees - the three current AL Wild Card teams.

It's certainly not an ideal way to end the first third of the season. Now, if the Royals navigate it well, they could set themselves up for an extremely successful season. However, if they scuffle their way through it, it could very well put them in a hole that they might not be able to climb their way out of.