KC Royals come up short, but potential outfield solutions were on full display

The Kansas City Royals started the second-half of the season on a less-than-ideal note, losing to the Miami Marlins on the road in walk-off fashion.

Now, they still hold a winning 8-5 record so far in July, but Friday's loss marks the Royals' third loss in the last four, making it understandable for fans to be feeling a sense of déjà vu.

However, as much as the loss stings and puts a bit of wrench in their record amid a jam-packed AL Wild Card race, there was a major silver lining to take away from it.

It's well documented how desperately the Royals are need of an outfield upgrade, but Friday may have presented some potential solutions, both internally and externally.

John Rave turned in a massive performance for KC Royals with his job potentially on the line

It's no secret that if the KC Royals were ever looking to switch things up further on their active roster, rookie John Rave would be one of the names on the hot seat.

The 27-year-old entered Friday's game with plenty of prior opportunity to show his worth since the Royals called him up at the end of May. However, he's done little to reward them for their faith in him. In 35 games prior to Friday, Rave was slashing just .176/.269/.235 with a 42 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR.

That being said, with immense pressure on him to start the second-half, he had a career night, going 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI.

It'll take more than one game to say that Rave has finally arrived, but he's certainly started the second-half on the right foot.

Adam Frazier makes his mark the first chance he got in his return to KC Royals

While the Royals' deal for Frazier on Wednesday was a confusing one, and frankly still might be, he did his best to quash some doubts.

In a pinch-hit appearance in the 10th inning, Frazier came through with a go-ahead two-run double.

Like Rave, it will take more than just coming through in a single pinch-hit appearance to completely get fans on board with giving away an exciting minor league talent in Cam Devanney. After all, this is the same Frazier who posted a measly 64 wRC+ in 2024 with Kansas City.

However, it was good first impression none the less in his return. And to change opinion, you've got to start somewhere right?

Marlins outfield duo makes strong firsthand case to be KC Royals trade deadline targets

Moving from internal options to external options, after the Royals made the deal for a rental bat Frazier it signaled perhaps that they're leaning towards buying at the upcoming trade deadline.

They've been linked to numerous outfield options in the past including the likes of All-Star Kyle Stowers as well as his teammate Jesús Sánchez.

Both of these names put on a show in front of the Royals on Friday night, proving that they could potentially be solutions for their current outfield needs.

Stowers went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI, including the game-winning two-run walkoff shot in the 10th inning. Then, Sánchez, while not quite having the night Stowers had, made his mark by showcasing the power-side of his game in this one, going 1-for-3, belting a solo-homer to open the scoring in first inning.

Both Stowers and Sánchez could command a pretty penny in any potential trade this summer given their 2025 performance and amount of control they have left. However, they still could be worth it nonetheless given how grim things have looked in the outfield for them in 2025.

Stowers, who has four more years of control beyond 2025, entered Friday's contest hitting .293 with a .911 OPS and 151 wRC+. Sánchez, who has two more years of control beyond this season, is hitting .253 with a .731 OPS and 103 wRC+.