3 KC Royals who are proving they clearly need more time in the minor leagues

The KC Royals continue to have one of the weirder up-and-down seasons in the Major Leagues. After getting swept in two straight series, they managed to turn around and sweep the Texas Rangers and make it four straight wins with a series opening victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday. So, just what is causing the up-and-down inconsistency? It seems some players on the team still need to be shuffled off to Omaha. Or even Northwest Arkansas.

The Royals look like a team with a few players who still don’t belong. Kudos to GM J.J. Picollo this season for making sure the team stays loose. He’s willing to shake things up. 

There are still some KC Royals who clearly need more time in the minor leagues before they can help the team make a playoff push.

John Rave isn’t doing the KC Royals any favors and probably needs to head back to the minors

It’s been about a month since Kansas City called up outfielder John Rave, and it’s starting to look like he needed to cook a bit more. In 19 games played, the young hitter posted a rather unimpressive .194/.235/.258 slash line.

Perhaps the worst part about his near-31% strikeout rate (30.6%) and low on-base percentage is that he’s unable to utilize his biggest offensive weapon. Rave has blazing speed, but he’s only managed to steal one base because he’s usually back in the dugout directly after a plate appearance.

Tyler Tolbert doesn’t have a place on KC Royals

Speaking of speedy outfielders who aren’t using their talents, Tyler Tolbert is in his second stint in Kansas City, and it’s not going any better than his first cup of coffee in 2025. 

Tolbert was recalled on June 10 and has only appeared in three games and gotten three plate appearances. Three appearances in 10 days don’t scream “staying in Kauffman for the long term.” Just send him back down and be done with it.

Can another minor league stint benefit Nick Loftin and the KC Royals long-term?

Nick Loftin is one of those guys who shows enough in Omaha that the Royals keep thinking he might finally be more than a bench bat. However, he is once again not doing all that much at the plate.

Loftin has a .216/.268/.412 slash line through 17 appearances. The infielder has seen the major leagues for three straight years, but he’s never been able to establish himself as a lock to stay on the major league roster.

He even had a moment this season where things appeared to be clicking, but going hitless in his last four plate appearances has brought him back down to reality in a hurry.

It might behoove the KC Royals to send Nick Loftin down again and let him continue to work on being someone who doesn’t need to worry about yo-yoing back and forth.