Is Michael Massey still the KC Royals’ best option at second base?

It’s safe to say that the start to the KC Royals season has not in any way, started the way the team hoped. There are all kinds of reasons for a below .500 beginning to the 2025 season, but the most obvious is that the offense simply hasn't been anywhere close to good enough.

The list of culprits for why the offense is struggling is just about as long as the offensive roster. No one is hitting all that well. Even Bobby Witt Jr. isn’t showing the electricity with his bat he did a year ago, despite solid numbers overall. Knowing that, it might seem unfair to put to much on Michael Massey’s shoulders.

At the same time, the KC Royals’ second baseman has done absolutely nothing to convince anyone he’s still the answer at that position. The real question is whether a shift could really help a sputtering offense without hurting its overall defense. The last thing the team needs is to find marginal improvement in one area, only to lose that ground in another.

The answer to that question is that it might be hard to find someone worse than Massey is playing right now.

KC Royals must consider lineup change as Michael Massey’s slump deepens

The second baseman is off to a horrendous start after two straight solid if not spectacular seasons. His slugging (.230) and OPS (.445) are both way, way down from his career norms (.389 and .670 respectively), and Baseball Savant has him in just the first percentile of batting run value (-9). 

Defensively, he’s not “worst in the league” bad but his fielding run value is -2, so Kansas City won’t be missing much if he moves off second base. And KC has already tried him in the outfield this season. 

So who could step in for Massey? The most obvious answer there is Jonathan India. He’s played more than a little middle infield in his career. And while the Royals may not want him there, he’s not exactly hitting well enough to hold down either left field or third base. 

Switching out positions, the way the KC Royals offense is playing right now seems like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. On the other hand, something’s gotta change. Maybe a shift there sends a message. Or perhaps it sparks something. The key is that it really shouldn’t hurt to try. 

Yesterday's showing at the plate during the doubleheader should be proof that this group is still capable of being a high-powered offense. But Massey's 2-for-8 showing with a pair of singles and a sac-fly hardly reverses the argument against him.

The Royals need to find a way to further improve upon yesterday's performance and relying less on Massey might just be a good place to start.