KC Royals offense awakens from month-long slumber to start May on a high note

Despite holding a record over .500 at the end of April, for a team entering the season with postseason aspirations that the Kansas City Royals had, a 16-15 record is likely not what they had in mind to kick of the 2025 campaign.

While their starting rotation has looked strong so far and their bullpen has taken shape and become a solid entity in recent weeks, the blame for their sluggish start falls on the offense, who entered Thursday's contest likely thrilled to be putting April behind them.

Through the season's opening 31 contests, the Royals ranked second to last in the league in team wRC+, with a posting of 72 - only better than that of the lowly Colorado Rockies. Their .228 team AVG sat 24th, their .619 OPS and 97 RBI each sat 29th and their mere 14 HR sat dead last in all of baseball.

But Thursday marked the start of a new month and the gloomy April offensive showers really did bring May flowers at the dish, as the Royals were hitting on all cylinders on Thursday afternoon in their 8-2 series sweep-clinching victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

KC Royals offense starts May on a high note

From a broad perspective, an eight run and 15 hit night is a good showing for any offense, but for the Royals it means so much much more.

To have everyone in starting lineup find a way to not only get on base, but to get into the hit column is big deal, especially when there have been some key figures holding this team back at the plate in the early going.

And we saw individual performances that will inspire hope for prolonged success, specifically from those aforementioned key figures.

Bobby Witt Jr. not only managed to extend his hitting streak to 22 games, but for the second straight contest he managed to do something he's struggled with all season; cash in with runners in scoring position. He did so this afternoon courtesy of a fifth-inning two-run home run with Freddy Fermin standing on second base.

Then Vinnie Pasquantino, who's slow start to the season has brought up some questions on what his future might look like with the club, came up big with his second straight game with an extra-base hit and multiple RBIs.

Then Salvador Perez, who would end up leaving with hip soreness, did manage to continue his hot stretch at the plate before he was forced to leave, as he's started to erase an abysmal start to the season by hitting safely in six of his last seven games.

A complete offensive showing all around, led by the heart of the order is exactly what this team needed heading into a new month of the season. And after their pitching kept them afloat and in the hunt in AL in the first month, imagine what an offense playing up to it's full potential could do for this Royals team moving forward.