KC Royals News: Key injuries, public workout, 1 last spring game

Two days before they host Minnesota to open the regular season, the KC Royals continued making roster moves Tuesday. Not unexpectedly, the club placed four players on the Injured List, thus delaying their 2024 debuts until sometime in April at the earliest.

Most notable among the injured is second baseman Michael Massey, whose back tightness has sidelined him for almost two weeks. Massey enjoyed a hot Cactus League start, but a pre-injury slump dropped his average to a final .233. In his absence, expect newcomer Adam Frazier and hot prospect Nick Loftin to split time at second, although the club might want to give Loftin the bulk of the starts after his excellent big league debut late last season and his good spring — he slashed .330/.440/.500 in 16 Cactus League games.

Joining Massey on the IL are pitchers Carlos Hernández, Jake Brentz, and Josh Taylor. A right shoulder issue has kept Hernández out of action most of the spring, a hamstring injury recently ended Brentz's disappointing Cactus League season (he gave up nine earned runs and walked 11 in 4.1 innings), and left biceps soreness cut Taylor's spring short after six games.

Massey is on the 10-day IL, while all three pitchers are on the 15-day List.

Kansas City opens Wednesday club workout to public

Can't wait until Thursday's Opening Day to see the Royals? If so, you're in luck — the club is holding a public workout at Kauffman Stadium Wednesday. The K's gates will open at 2:30 pm CT and the workout is scheduled to begin 30 minutes later.

Tickets aren't necessary because the event is free.

The KC Royals closed out their exhibition schedule Monday evening

Kansas City finished up its Cactus League schedule Saturday, but had one exhibition contest left to play, a special game in the Ozarks with Northwest Arkansas, its Double-A farm club, Monday night. And to no one's surprise, the Royals won 7-1.

Nelson Velázquez, whose 14-game Cactus League line of .179/.273/.256 reflects his spring of struggles, homered in the sixth inning and MJ Melendez had a pair of doubles. Brady Singer started for the Royals and held the Naturals scoreless for six innings; he struck out eight and issued only one walk.

Interestingly enough, major leaguers played both sides of the fence in their final tune-up of the spring. Velázquez's homer came off Royal reliever John Schreiber. And fellow KC relievers Jordan Lyles and Nick Anderson also pitched for the Naturals — Lyles surrendered a pair of runs in the 1.1 innings he worked, and Anderson threw a scoreless inning and fanned two.

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