3 Royals players who could literally be chasing themselves out of the lineup

The Kansas City Royals have types in many different areas. Fans can point to the versatile players, the Venezuelan international signings, or the sunflower seeds in the dugout. Yes, they have a type there.

According to Royals Review, the team most certainly has a type when it comes to swing decisions.
Connor Moylan wrote a piece last December about Kansas City investing in players who do not chase pitches outside the strike zone.

What constitutes a chased pitch can be up for debate, but statistically it is any pitch outside the shadow of the strike zone. So those sliders down and away in the dirt that Salvador Perez swings at? Those are a chase. The Venezuelan catcher is one of the league’s least disciplined batters, but Kansas City keeps him in the lineup for a litany of reasons. He has a track record of producing at the plate despite a high chase rate, and the tradeoff is usually worth it.

But the same cannot be said for all batters. It is common sense that more disciplined swing decisions usually lead to better outcomes. Still, the Royals aren’t going to bump Perez, Bobby Witt Jr., or Vinnie Pasquantino from the lineup simply because of their chase rate. But could more fringe players be pushed out due to their lack of discipline? If so, there are some key candidates.

3 Royals players who's high chase rates could cost them a spot in the lineup

2B Michael Massey

The Royals had a second‑base problem last season, no doubt about it. The convoluted picture has not gained much clarity this offseason, either, as veteran Jonathan India is back on a one‑year deal and Kansas City retained most of their team‑controlled players with second‑base experience. When Royals fans are still holding out active hope that Adam Frazier returns, you know the situation is dire.

The first impression sets the tone, and when second baseman Michael Massey was batting fifth on Opening Day, expectations were high. He had a strong 2024 season where he proved he might not be an All‑Star at the keystone, but he could get hot and at least help the Royals lineup rather than hurt it.

His glove had finally started showing some progression, and fans hoped for more in his age‑27 season. But injuries and a poor opening month really sapped Massey’s 2025 season, even though he closed out with a strong .917 OPS in September.

Massey is quickly becoming a polarizing player, and it is safe to say his 2025 season was one to forget. When it comes to chase rates, though, it was more of the same for the free‑swinging lefty.

His 37.6% chase rate was the highest of his career, raising his career average to 35.2%. That latter mark is nearly seven percentage points higher than the league average of 28.4%. This is not a one‑off showing for a struggling second baseman trying to right the ship; this is the norm to expect from Massey.

To his credit, Massey does make contact with more of the pitches he chases than the average MLB batter. His 70.3% chase‑contact rate was the best of his career, but that doesn’t mean he turned that contact into anything meaningful.

Massey’s role in 2026 remains to be seen after a lost 2025 season and a 2024 season where back injuries changed how fans viewed his future. India and Massey project to be the primary options there until the Royals make a change. But once the default starter, Massey may not have enough plate discipline to be the everyday option he was once hoped to be.

UTL Tyler Tolbert

The Royals’ rookie class was an interesting mixed bag of expectations and results.

Southpaw Noah Cameron did not have high expectations upon his big‑league debut, but he turned in an AL Rookie of the Year‑worthy season and was a stabilizing force in the Royals’ rotation. Outfielder Jac Caglianone ran through Double‑A and Triple‑A but struggled at the plate and staying healthy later in 2025. Catcher Carter Jensen made a name for himself in his abbreviated look, setting himself up for his first Opening Day roster appearance in 2026.

But an often overlooked member of this rookie class is utilityman Tyler Tolbert.

The Alabama native made his MLB debut on March 31, 2025, largely replacing outfielder Dairon Blanco as Kansas City’s pinch‑running specialist. Tolbert flourished in that role, swiping 21 bases and ranking fourth among MLB rookies in that stat. He accrued that amount in only 64 games, one of the best per‑game rates in baseball.

Like Blanco the year prior, Tolbert had some batting moments that fueled fan support for more starts or playing time, rather than riding the bench until manager Matt Quatraro wanted to deploy his base‑stealing ace of hearts.

On the surface, the former George Brett Hitter of the Year winner was acceptable in his limited batting work. His .280/.321/.380 slash line was better than many Royals regulars, and his .701 OPS was closer to league average than many would realize.

The results looked solid, but the process was flawed and could further limit Tolbert in 2026. His 31.3% chase rate was one of the worst among Kansas City batters, while many of his expected batting numbers sat below league average.

There is a school of thought that Tolbert’s plate discipline will improve if he sees more opportunities against big‑league pitching. While he did appear in 64 games in his debut season, he only saw 57 plate appearances in that span, and fans will hardly judge a player off such a small first taste of big‑league pitching. In fact, Tolbert’s chase rate trended down across the entire season after peaking in April, averaging a sub‑20% mark in the second half.

Will the progress be noticed by the Royals in 2026? Perhaps, especially if the gains in the second half are truly signs of improvement rather than luck.

The new hitting‑coaching staff has several projects on its plate, but Tolbert improving as a pinch hitter, at least, would help the Royals when it matters most. But if his whole‑season chase rate is the norm, Tolbert may not be a big‑league mainstay on the bench.

OF Drew Waters

Expectations were high when the Royals traded with the Atlanta Braves for outfield prospect Drew Waters, and his initial appearance in the big leagues only fueled optimism.

However, Waters’ MLB performance since that 2022 hot run has faltered, and that once‑strong optimism is all but gone. The outfielder is certainly athletic and has some highlight‑reel moments in Triple‑A, but Waters’ chase rate has been a volatile stat — and 2025 was certainly his worst season to date.

The switch‑hitter’s 25.9% chase rate in 2022 was well above league average. That mark allowed some hope for Waters growing at the plate and harnessing his tools to their full potential. But that rate ballooned to 31.8% in 2023, the season where Waters played the most.

He barely saw any action in 2024, and then 2025 showed why. Waters chased breaking balls at an astounding 53.4% rate. That alone made it easy for opposing pitchers to put him behind in the count, and Waters did not have enough to overcome that shortfall.

Overall, Waters posted a career‑worst 66 wRC+ and the first negative fWAR season of his career. His .243/.288/.316 slash line shows why Kansas City did not keep him on the 26‑man roster for most of the season, and his expected numbers are even more paltry. It would be one thing if Waters produced in Omaha, but his .236/.309/.404 slash line and 84 wRC+ in a hitter‑friendly International League only hurt his 2025 season further.

Even the most casual baseball fans now know that on Baseball Savant, blue means bad and red means good. Waters has a ton of blue on his profile from last season, matching his Omaha uniform.

The Royals have not had good luck with the 2017 draft class, and even the 41st pick from that draft is not turning out kindly for them. None of the players Kansas City drafted that year are still on the 40‑man roster, and Waters will likely soon join players like Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez.

Waters’ return to Kansas City does not look promising, considering he is out of minor‑league options ahead of the 2026 season. The Royals would have to carry him on the Opening Day roster for him to stay in the organization, and even with all of the team’s issues in the outfield, Waters has not — and does not — seem to be an answer to their ailments.

Waters may have already chased his way not only out of the Royals lineup, but off the 40‑man roster entirely. His switch‑hitting profile and prospect pedigree are not enough to give him a fighting chance to stay off the waiver wire later this year.