Mets bold Kodai Senga decision should inspire Royals to make these 3 roster moves

The New York Mets made a bit of a shocking roster decision on Friday afternoon, optioning a prominent rotation piece in Kodai Senga down to Triple-A.

New York made this decision amidst a September where they're looking to the lock up not only a postseason spot, but also looking to challenge the Philadelphia Phillies for top spot in the NL East.

The Mets are far likelier to make the postseason than the Royals at the moment - who currently sit 2.0 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot - so the fact their willing to make such a bold move so close to the postseason should be inspiring for team like Kansas City. Each of KC's games means that much more, with every misstep and mistake being increasingly magnified.

Now, the Royals don't have a move sitting in front them as drastic as the Mets optioning an arm arguably thought to be their ace entering the season. However, there are a few roster decisions the Royals should make this month in the spirit of fielding the optimal active roster.

3 roster decisions the Royals should make in light of Mets optioning Kodai Senga to minors

1. Option Nick Loftin to Triple-A

This option certainly won't come with the fanfare that Senga's option will, but that doesn't mean it's not a useful move for the Royals to make.

Loftin hasn't come without his great moments in 2025 since returning to the major league roster, but his recent output has looked quite grim. Since the All-Star break, the utility man is slashing just .196/.324/.268 with one home run, five RBI and a 72 wRC+.

His presence on the active roster seems to revolve around the fact he's positionally versatile, with the ability to play first, second and third base as well as the corner outfield. That being said, with the presence of more regular contributors like Adam Frazier and Michael Massey able to play similar utility roles and fellow bench option Tyler Tolbert able to provide both versatility as well as speed, suddenly his place on the now 28-man roster looks less appealing given how poor he's looked at the plate.

With other names currently in Omaha who can offer the Royals something different and potentially a bit more upside at the plate, like Dairon Blanco and his blistering speed or Bobby Dalbec and his promising power, Loftin has never looked more replaceable.

2. Transition Randal Grichuk out of his platoon role

Next we move to a more established major league veteran in Randal Grichuk, who may have started his tenure with the Royals off well, has cooled down significantly.

When the Royals traded for both the right-handed hitting Grichuk and the left-handed hitting Mike Yastrzemski, it was thought to be the perfect platoon pairing. While, Yastrzemski and his 134 wRC+ have lived up to the hype, Grichuk has looked far less appealing.

In 28 games with the Royals, he's slashing just .215/.301/.308 with one homer, three RBI and a 71 wRC+.

Now, he, along with speedster Tyler Tolbert, are the only right-handed hitting outfield options. That being said, the promise that Frazier and Massey have shown of late could be worth the look to see them more against left-handed pitching. Then, there's always Jac Caglianone, who as young and upcoming hitter, will need to develop his ability to hit lefties at the major league level at some point.

Grichuk still should have a role to play on this Royals roster, however it doesn't seem like it should be in a regular role anymore.

3. Don't rush Jonathan India or Seth Lugo back from the IL

Moving to a couple of injured regulars, the Royals should by no means rush either second baseman Jonathan India or starter Seth Lugo back to the active roster.

It's no secret that India has been having rough year at the plate since arriving in Kansas City this winter. For a brief period of time after the Royals made some major lineup switches he looked rejuvenated as hitter, but he's since come back down to earth - only posting a .195 AVG, .675 OPS and 93 wRC+ in August.

Then there's Lugo, who hasn't looked like the Cy Young candidate he'd become in the first year-and-a-half with the Royals of late. Since the All-Star break, he's throwing to just a 7.51 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and .302 BAA. Even more specifically, in the first month since his contract extension ahead of the trade deadline, Lugo threw to a 9.11 ERA, 2.03 WHIP and .321 BAA.

Now, in a realistic world the Royals ideal postseason roster has these two players part of it, as both at their peak are All-Star caliber talents. But given each of their struggles, they've been hindering the Royals postseason chances rather than aiding them. So, now it's a matter of figuring out how Kansas City can unlock the best versions of these two key major league figures.

Rehab assignments have the ability to be longer than 10-day or 15-day IL stints. The Royals should take full advantage of that a leave these two down in Triple-A for as long as possible in order to give them as much time to find their footing in a lower pressure environment.

The fact that Massey and Frazier have looked so strong of late means the Royals have options at second. Likewise, the emergence of Ryan Bergert and the strong Royals debut of Stephen Kolek, gives Kansas City a bit of hope that Lugo's spot in the starting staff will be filled adequately in his absence.