4 KC Royals who've already proven they don't belong on roster after May 1

The Kansas City Royals currently sit in second place in the AL Central. Not a bad start for a team that entered 2025 with more questions than answers. While it’s still early in the season, their 7–6 record isn’t something to dismiss, especially given how far this roster feels from complete. Powered by a strong starting pitching staff, the Royals are doing just enough offensively to stay competitive. But this team knows that it cannot survive by riding Bobby Witt Jr. alone.

Coming into the season, the offense was a glaring concern, and so far, that skepticism has been justified. The lineup features too many players underperforming, offering more holes than hope. The bullpen, though improved, is still sorting itself out and needs the bounce-back seasons they expected from a couple players.

If the Royals are serious about staying in the postseason hunt, they can’t afford to keep rolling with players who are actively hurting the cause. Let's take a hard look at four Royals whose performances are no longer worth waiting on — players who, quite frankly, no longer belong on this roster.

4 KC Royals who've already proven they don't belong on roster after May 1

OF  MJ Melendez

Drafted in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, MJ Melendez was once viewed as a cornerstone of the Kansas City Royals' next wave of talent. A homegrown power bat with a promising minor league track record, Melendez made his big-league debut in 2022 amid high expectations. Since then, he’s flashed moments of raw power — never hitting fewer than 16 home runs in a season — but the consistency just hasn’t followed.

The strikeouts have been a glaring issue. While he did trim his strikeout rate from 28.2% in 2023 to 25.1% in 2024, it remains uncomfortably high. His defensive profile has also shifted. Since Melendez has taken up residence in the outfield, his strong arm is an asset — and he's not a bad defender by any means, but his limited range keeps his defensive value in check.

Perhaps most concerning is his lack of production at the plate. In four seasons with the Royals, Melendez has yet to post an OPS+ above league average, and he's registered negative WAR in each of the last two seasons. The early returns in 2025 haven’t been any more promising: through 11 games, he’s struck out 12 times in 27 plate appearances, has yet to hit a home run or drive in a run, and is slashing a bleak .111/.250/.148.

It’s admirable that the Royals continue to show patience with one of their own, but with Melendez now in his arbitration years, that patience comes at a cost. The organization has to make a decision: is this a cold start from a player still trying to find his rhythm, or is it time to send him back to Triple-A to reset? Whatever the answer is, the current version of MJ Melendez is dragging down an offense that can’t afford many passengers. If the Royals want to take a step forward, they need to figure out what their future looks like — with or without him.

OF  Hunter Renfroe

Now playing for his seventh team in his ten-year career, Hunter Renfroe is the definition of a baseball journeyman. In his mid-to-late 20s, Renfroe was a legitimate power threat and a respected outfielder, but his game took a sharp downturn in 2023. Still, it wasn’t a surprise when the Royals took a low-risk flyer on him in 2024, hoping to catch some of his former self.

To his credit, Renfroe delivered passable production last season — 15 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .229/.297/.392 slash line over 120 games. His 93 OPS+ wasn’t league average either, but it was serviceable for a veteran role player. Once considered a plus defender with a cannon of an arm, Renfroe’s fielding value has started to wane. He still plays a respectable corner outfield, but the loss of a step is evident — and it’s showing up at the plate as well.

In 2025, Renfroe’s early returns have been rough. Through 35 at-bats, he’s managed just five hits, slashing .156/.229/.188 with no home runs and only one extra-base hit. He looks out of sync at the plate.

Like MJ Melendez, Renfroe might be considered safe simply because the Royals’ offense is in such bad shape that there aren’t clear alternatives. But the reality is stark: Kansas City is dedicating two outfield spots to players who aren’t hitting, and are offering diminishing returns in the field.

If the Royals want to stay competitive in tight games, they can’t afford to carry multiple everyday outfielders who are actively hurting their chances to win.

LHP Sam Long

Sam Long is one of those pitchers who has flashed just enough potential to keep getting chances. But in 2025, that leash is growing shorter by the day. Coming off the best season of his career in 2024, Long looked like he might be turning a corner. He posted a 3.16 ERA across 43 appearances, striking out 44 batters in 42.2 innings. His jump in strikeout rate — from 16.1% in 2023 to 25% in 2024 — was particularly encouraging, suggesting a sharper, more confident version of the left-hander.

But that success is already fading into the rearview. So far in 2025, Long has struggled mightily. Through six appearances, he's been tagged for 10 hits and 7 earned runs across just 6 innings, inflating his ERA to a brutal 10.50. His strikeout rate has tumbled back down to earth sitting at 16.7%, more in line with his disappointing 2023 campaign back in Oakland (now just the A's), where he posted a 5.60 ERA.

It’s not just the numbers — it’s the context. The Royals’ bullpen is taking shape, and other arms are seizing their moment. Hunter Harvey has reemerged as a trusted high-leverage option, and Ángel Zerpa will eventually earn meaningful leverage work. In contrast, Long has become the odd man out, struggling to find footing in a pen that’s quietly becoming a strength.

If internal pitching talent comes knocking at the door in the Royals’ system, Long may soon find himself squeezed out of the picture altogether. If he can’t recapture the form he showed just a season ago, his time in Kansas City could be running out fast.

RHP Chris Stratton

Chris Stratton’s 10-year MLB career has been marked by stretches of reliability and moments of struggle — a rollercoaster that made the Royals’ decision to sign him to a two-year deal ahead of the 2024 season a calculated gamble. Unfortunately, that bet hasn’t paid off so far.

In 2024, Stratton delivered a paltry performance. A 5.55 ERA across 58.1 innings, striking out just 44 batters and failing to provide the steady veteran presence Kansas City hoped for in its bullpen. The hope was that 2025 would be a bounce-back year. But early returns have been discouraging: through just four appearances, Stratton has allowed five earned runs in 6.1 innings, good for a bloated 7.11 ERA.

What makes his situation more pressing is the timing — this is a contract year. While the Royals might’ve initially viewed Stratton as a potential trade chip at the deadline, a continued poor performance could derail that possibility entirely. If he keeps dragging down the bullpen’s effectiveness, Kansas City may have no choice but to DFA him and open up a roster spot for a younger, more effective arm.

This is a team coming off a playoff appearance, with a strong ambition on returning there. They weren’t shy about adding bullpen help at last year’s trade deadline and this offseason. If Stratton doesn’t turn things around quickly, there’s little reason to think the front office will hesitate to move on.

The Royals are trying to take a meaningful step forward the season. Their progress can’t come at the expense of accountability. As they look to stay competitive in a wide-open AL Central, continuing to give opportunities to players who aren’t producing will only stall their momentum.