Former teammate's May struggles could be good for KC Royals in upcoming series

The Kansas City Royals livened up their baseball winter with a bit of a bang in late November. Seeking an upgrade to their leadoff spot and willing to sacrifice frontline pitching to get it, the Royals shipped starter Brady Singer to Cincinnati for second baseman Jonathan India. And although KC also picked up outfielder Joey Wiemer in the deal, the plan was clear — India would be at the top of manager Matt Quatraro's batting order when the 2025 season began.

But as April turned to May, it looked like the Reds were getting the better end of the trade that turned out to be the cornerstone of Kansas City's offseason efforts to improve on last year's surprisingly good results. While India's awful .186/.297/.244 April sent him into May with a disappointing .216 average (and Wiemer struggled in the minors), Singer bolted out of the blocks with his new team and was making headlines in Cincinnati with a 4-1, 3.24 ERA record and 1.080 WHIP.

But with the end of May approaching and Singer and the Reds about to hit town Monday for a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, things have changed. While India's .254/.338/.366 May line suggests he's getting closer to where the Royals want him to be, Singer in May isn't looking much like the April version of the starter the Reds are counting on so heavily this season.

Former KC Royals starter Brady Singer is struggling this month

And that's an understatement. In four May starts, including his Wednesday loss to Pittsburgh in which he walked four and gave up five hits in five innings, Singer's been battered for 16 runs in 18.1 innings for an ugly 7.85 ERA. He's also walked 10, and his 1.855 May WHIP contrasts sharply with that 1.080 he posted over the season's first month. Singer also surrendered seven runs in just 2.1 innings against Houston May 10 and four runs in six frames against the Braves five days before that.

But that's not all. Per Baseball Savant, Singer's 2025 partial-season barrel (11.8%) and solid hit (7.9%) rates are worse than any of his full-season numbers, and too many of his other pitching metrics aren't good. Simply put, he's been inconsistent, which is the same flaw that marred much of his five-season Kansas City tenure.

What could Brady Singer's troubles mean for the KC Royals?

Because Singer last pitched against the Pirates Wednesday, his regular spot in Cincinnati's rotation doesn't come up until the Reds arrive in Kansas City. Unless first-year Cincinnati skipper Terry Francona makes a change, it appears Tuesday's 6:40 p.m. CDT game will mark Singer's first career appearance against his former club, although it's conceivable he could start the club's Memorial Day matinee contest.

That means KC's first look at Singer as an opponent might be coming at an excellent time for the Royals. Although they're above .500 at 28-25, the Royals are averaging just 3.33 runs per game through Saturday's 5-4 loss to Minnesota, so a struggling Singer could be just what the baseball doctors should be ordering for them.