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...

Shortstop: This KC Royals position belongs to Bobby Witt Jr. and no one else

The Royals squelched offseason speculation that Bobby Witt Jr. might move to third base, a trouble spot for the club ever since Mike Moustakas left five years ago this July, when they opened spring camp clearly committed to playing him at shortstop. The decision flew in the face of the difficulties he experienced last season at short.

But two days shy of two full months into the season, shortstop is Witt's position to lose. His glovework there lacks most of the awkwardness of last season's, spectacular plays are becoming routine, and he seems more comfortable in the spot. And although his .977 fielding percentage is only slightly above league average, his OAA at shortstop is 5, a 14-run positive swing over last year's -9.

He ranks 22nd among major league shortstops, however, in Defensive Runs Saved, a rating he'll need to improve, but that doesn't mean the Royals will do anything more than continue to try making Witt better. (Although he's hitting only .232, batting averages won't determine who the club plays at short).

But is Witt at shortstop best for him and the Royals? Maybe, maybe not. He's not Gold Glove material yet, and might never be, and he'd have less ground to cover if the club gave shortstop to Maikel Garcia and moved Witt to third.

And speaking of third base...