3 KC Royals players' starts that feel sustainable, 2 that feel like fool’s gold

The Kansas City Royals season is still young, with the boys in blue opening a seven-game homestand against the Baltimore Orioles. But even before the AL Wild Card rematch, there have been some impressive starts by Royals players—whether on the mound or at the plate—that leave fans wondering which performances will last and which will fizzle out. Here's the scoop on which players fans should believe in, and which they shouldn't.

3 KC Royals Hot Starts to Believe in, 2 to Doubt

Believe in: RHP Hunter Harvey

The initial returns for right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey were not great at all. Harvey made only six appearances for Kansas City after arriving from the Washington Nationals before suffering a season-ending back injury on Aug. 4 of last year, which landed him on the Injured List on Aug. 10. He wasn’t the same pitcher Kansas City traded for—he allowed four runs in just 5⅔ innings, courtesy of a .333 opposition batting average and four free passes. Royals fans wondered if Kansas City should consider moving on from the relatively expensive veteran, but the Royals stuck by him. Now, the North Carolina native is proving that the team made the right choice.

Harvey has now worked three consecutive 1-2-3 innings to start the season, striking out four batters in the process. He is benefiting from an unusually passive approach by opposing batters (a 25.6% called strike rate), and the results are exactly what the Royals need right now. Harvey has a straightforward approach with his offerings, and so far, batters have been pounding balls into the ground.

Even the best relievers allow occasional runs, but Harvey looks like the elite setup man he was for the Nationals once again. His velocity is back, his splitter is looking sharp, and Harvey is painting the strike zone for Kansas City. The Royals' best days came with a trio of elite relievers shutting down late innings, and while they already trust Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez, Harvey now gives Kansas City another strong trio—albeit not as intimidating as HDH once was.

Sell on: 1B/OF Mark Canha

Royals fans haven't seen much from veteran batter Mark Canha since he joined the club late in spring training. He had a great Cactus League for Kansas City and has been hot in his sparing opportunities. Canha only recorded nine plate appearances through the Royals' first six games, but a pair of walks and a hit by pitch in that span really buoyed his .556 OBP.

If the season ended today, Canha's 218 wRC+ would rank among baseball's best and be by far the highest mark of his 11-year career. Despite struggles in the field and at the plate from Kansas City's incumbent outfielders, Canha can't get a start in the field, and that will ultimately limit his overall trajectory. He's undeniably hot right now, but long stretches on the bench may cool him down immensely.

Believe in: UTL Jonathan India

The Royals made an underrated statement about their belief in the team's near-term future by trading for utilityman Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds. Kansas City turned two controllable years of Brady Singer—coming off a strong 2024 season in an era when pitching values reign—into two years of India (and outfielder Joey Wiemer). Frustrated with lackluster production from the leadoff spot, the Royals gambled that India would be the solution. Through six games, India is living up to that expectation.

In just 28 plate appearances, he has reached base 11 times, posting a remarkable .393 OBP. He also led the team in both runs scored (4) and hits (8) through the season's first two series. What's more, India has displayed a rare knack for setting the tone early—he reached base in the first inning in three of six games and has had three games with three or more times reaching base. This production at the top of the lineup starkly contrasts last season's leadoff struggles, when Royals batters managed first-inning starts only 13 times in 162 games, with an MLB-worst .270 OBP.

Defensively, India has proven his versatility and reliability. Despite spending his previous four seasons exclusively at second base with the Reds, he has seamlessly transitioned to new roles for Kansas City. So far, he has logged 28.0 innings in left field and 26.1 innings at third base—all without committing an error. Royals fans should know how much manager Matt Quatraro loves moving players around the field. India's versatility will help keep him in the leadoff spot and hopefully allow another hot bat to stay there.

For Royals fans, India's performance thus far is a promising sign. The Florida product has been as advertised in 2025, and a return of extra-base hitting production would only elevate his ceiling further.

Sell on: UTL Maikel Garcia

Royals fans have seen this song and dance before. Third baseman Maikel Garcia was a savior compared to the revolving door at the hot corner before him in 2023—most notably Hunter Dozier. Since then, however, some big red flags have emerged in his game, as shown when he was Kansas City's first-choice leadoff hitter. Now pushed down the pecking order and largely relegated to the bench, Garcia is playing like he has something to prove.

He's been 6-for-17 in six games to start the season, with four extra-base hits and three RBI. In the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, Garcia clobbered a solo home run traveling 428 feet—marking the longest of his career according to Statcast. Garcia already leads Royals batters with two home runs six games into the season. Those extra-base hits and a surprising number of walks have given him a scorching 252 wRC+ and .518 wOBA.

MLB.com's Anne Rogers detailed what Garcia changed about his swing mechanics and mentality at the plate, but the possibility of him keeping up this pace or ending the season as an above-average batter feels far-fetched. He was one of the league's worst qualified hitters last year—even though he had a solid start through May. A hot start in 2025 just feels like more of the same—until it isn't.

Believe in: LHP Kris Bubic

The quality start streak in Kansas City last year was a surprising storyline, but in 2025, the rotation has yielded only one such start—by left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic.

Bubic tossed a gem in his return to the rotation, delivering six innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts. The Brewers had no answer for him, as his entire arsenal seemed to work to perfection. Bubic had a great run in the bullpen last year, which led some fans to wonder if he should remain there. However, that was only a temporary plan to roll him back into the rotation after his Tommy John surgery in 2023.

Bubic is just part of an overall solid rotation in Kansas City, but there's a real possibility he could end the season as the team's second-best starter. The 27-year-old may not be blowing fastballs past the opposition, but a nasty sweeper and an overperforming slider could carry him even further.