Is this really the infield the KC Royals want?

Fifty-four games and 38 losses into a KC Royals season growing more dismal almost by the day, at least one thing is crystal clear about rookie manager Matt Quatraro.

He's a skipper not wedded to set lineups at the plate or in the field—who'll bat where in the order, and to what position he'll assign certain players, is anyone's guess. Yet Quatraro's is an approach, if not a system, with which he seems comfortable and prone to stick.

He seems, however, to be settling on an infield of Nick Pratto at first base, Michael Massey at second, Maikel Garcia at third, and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. But is it really the infield the Royals want? Let's see, position by position.

First base: Should it be Nick Pratto or Vinnie Pasquantino for the KC Royals?

This question required little thought when the season began. Based on his excellent rookie season last year, and Pratto's disappointing one that ended with a trip back to the minors, Pasquantino was the answer. After all, he'd claimed the position as his almost from the day the Royals made room for him by trading Carlos Santana to Seattle, finished 2022 with 10 homers and a .295/.383/.450 slash, and played adequate defense, while Pratto's .184 average sent him packing to Triple-A.

So it was Pasquantino opened this season at first. But faced with an inept offense, Kansas City looked to Omaha for help in late April and recalled Pratto. Quatraro immediately penciled him in at first and Pasquantino into the DH slot and, after going 2-for-3 in Sunday's walk-off win over Washington, Pratto is slashing .289/.389/.423 with a pair of home runs and 13 RBIs.

The answer to the first base question, then, has changed. Now, it's Pratto, especially because his defense is far better than Pasquantino's, and Pasquantino becoming the primary DH keeps his big bat in the lineup.

How about second base?

Second base: Michael Massey is the KC Royals' man at second...for now

Michael Massey sent the Royals home winners Sunday with this walk-off single against Washington:

The game-winner capped Massey's 2-for-4 day and provided the latest evidence that despite a poor start to the season, he's hanging on to the everyday big league job he's had since the Royals promoted him last August.

That he'd need to supply such proof may surprise some; after all, Massey starting at second for Kansas City this season was all but a foregone conclusion when the Royals opened their exhibition schedule in late February, and a .279 Cactus League average did nothing to dispel that notion.

Unfortunately, Massey's April did. He was slashing .167/.173/.180 with one extra-base hit when the calendar turned to May and calls for the club to replace him with hot-hitting Omaha infielder-outfielder Samad Taylor began bubbling throughout social media.

Fortunately, Massey's May is much, much better—for the month, he's slashing .308/.395/.492 heading into this afternoon's 1:15 p.m. CT game against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Keeping his job won't require maintaining those numbers, but another awful slump akin to April's may tempt general manager J.J. Picollo to give Taylor a try.

On to shortstop...

Third base: The KC Royals seem content with Maikel Garcia at the hot corner

With Hunter Dozier gone and shortstop for better or worse Witt's exclusive province, Maikel Garcia is settling in with the Royals, and they with him. By default or otherwise, third base is his.

So far, so good. Garcia's played third 16 times since his May 2 recall from Omaha, where he was hitting .242 with a .348 OBP, a homer, and 17 RBIs in 24 games; now, the franchise's third-best prospect per MLB Pipeline is improving at the plate—through Sunday, he's batting .272. Expect to see even more improvement as Garcia sees more big league pitching.

And don't overlook his glove. He hasn't made an error in 140 innings at third, and has only one in 55 innings spread across second and short.

Garcia's "natural" position is, like Witt's, shortstop, but he's making things work at the hot corner and isn't the offensive or defensive headache Dozier was for the Royals. He doesn't have the power Mike Moustakas had, but he's playing well and offers the club versatility if it needs it.

So, all things considered, is the Royals' Pratto-Massey-Witt-Garcia infield really what the club wants? Apparently it is, but it might be more what they need if Witt and Garcia switch places. Time will tell.