Jonathan India's struggles prove the KC Royals need a shake-up in the lineup

After getting swept by the New York Yankees on Wednesday night after scoring just six runs in the entire series, there's a feeling that this Kansas City Royals lineup is not performing to it's maximum capabilities and thus a shake-up is in order.

And where better to start than the first man to step into the box on a nightly basis in Jonathan India, fresh off another hitless night, going 0-for-4 with a sac fly in the series finale.

After starting the year with eight hits through his first six games, India has fallen off a cliff at the dish since then. In his next 11 games, he's managed just three hits, leaving his average to plummet below the Mendoza Line to .183 with an OPS of .543.

Now, India was brought in to be that spark in the leadoff spot that Royals were in desperate need of last season after getting just a .228 and .604 OPS in the spot. But as we enter the second half of April, the Royals are only marginally better in the leadoff role- as they entered tonight's contest with a .239 AVG and .645 OPS - and as we've seen by India's numbers, the slight improvement is not thanks to him.

So when is it no longer too early to say a change needs to be made at the top of the order?

The KC Royals need a shake-up in the leadoff spot

With India struggling to make an impact with bat and a majority of the lineup being in the same boat, there's not a plethora of names the Royals could logically insert into that spot.

Bobby Witt Jr. is far too good in the two-hole to ever consider moving him. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez aren't prototypical leadoff guys and are struggling offensively themselves. Lower-half regulars like MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe are fighting to keep their spot on the roster, let alone take on a more crucial role. Massey has assumed the role in the postseason, but with an average well below .200 himself, he hasn't proved to be deserving of a role of this magnitude.

That leaves Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia. Isbel has done such a solid job turning the lineup over in the nine-spot that moving out the only entity that's worked in the bottom of the order may not be wise. Pair that with the fact that this is really the first taste of near league average offense we've seen from him - as he held 90 wRC+ entering tonight's contest - and there's certainly an element of wanting to ensure he remains comfortable in the role that's suiting him well so far.

So, now that just leaves Garcia, who as it would turn out might be more suited to the leadoff role than many may initially think.

So far this season, Garcia has eight at-bats in the leadoff spot and while it might be a small sample size, he's made his presence felt there, posting a .500 AVG and 1.125 OPS with a pair of RBI.

Now, how India's game would translate to a move outside of a leadoff role remains to be seen, as 1348 of his 2295 career plate appearances have come out of the one-hole. That being said though, India has seemingly been chasing the type of hitter he was when he won NL Rookie of the Year back in 2021, so perhaps a switch in the norm could do him good.

When broken down into it's simplest form, the Royals have a leadoff hitter who's struggling, they have another hitter who's proved he can handle the leadoff role when called upon, and the overall team offense itself is one of the worst in baseball with a bottom five wRC+ to start the year. What else do they have to lose at this point?