Speedster's injury could further cloud KC Royals outfield picture

The search for answers to their outfield questions began for the Kansas City Royals as soon as they fell to the New York Yankees in last season's American League Division Series. Sadly, the club's efforts to fire up its outfielders' performance at the plate came up short — only Joey Wiemer really joined the outfield mix, but don't expect him to immediately improve the outfield's offensive outlook.

Now, after news broke on February 24 of trouble with Dairon Blanco's Achilles heel, Kansas City faces even more outfield uncertainty. Although major league roster spots are rarely guaranteed to backup players, Blanco's seemed relatively secure when spring training began. Should his injury result in any extended absence, however, it could further complicate and cloud the team's already muddled outfield picture.

Why the KC Royals could miss Dairon Blanco

Blanco doesn't play every day, but he's proved his value as a serviceable late-inning defensive replacement and fill-in for regular Royals outfielders on their days off. He's also no slouch at the plate — playing in 88 games last season, 19 more than he did in 2023, he hit a respectable .258 for the second straight year. He won't win any Silver Sluggers, but that .258 average was actually a bright spot among the club's bat-challenged outfield corps.

But Blanco's greatest asset, and highest value to the Royals, is his speed. He terrorizes opposing pitchers on the basepaths, so much so that the 31 bases he stole last season were good enough to deadlock him with Bobby Witt Jr. for the Royals' second-highest total — Blanco and Witt trailed club leader Maikel Garcia's 37 steals by only six.

Blanco's 29.6 sprint speed ranked in the 98th percentile last season. And his speed certainly helps him cover Kauffman Stadium's expansive outfield.

Kansas City must be cautious with Dairon Blanco

Achilles injuries are nothing to take chances with — ruptures of the tendon are to be feared, so the Royals must (and most assuredly will) be careful with Blanco. They don't want to be without him when Opening Day rolls around on March 27.

For now, the plethora of outfielders, including non-roster invitees, working in Kansas City's spring camp and in Cactus League games gives the Royals plenty of ways to cover Blanco's present absence.

But what if Blanco's absence stretches, for whatever reason, into the regular season, when games begin to count far more than they do now? That would take Blanco off the bases, where he can do so much damage. The Royals need his speed, especially as a pinch-runner in high-leverage, late-game situations, including in extra innings when the automatic runner rule applies. Blanco gives manager Matt Quatraro a valuable option in extra-inning games when his team may get only one chance to score.

Blanco missing regular season time would also rob the outfield of his defensive speed, including late in contests when that speed can be most critical.

So it is that Blanco's Achilles is a concern. Depending on what happens, the Royals may need to replace him for Opening Day, especially if the injury is more serious than initially thought, he aggravates it, or he requires considerable time off in spring training and needs to reacquire his bearings before reassuming the valuable spot he occupies on the club.

What options are available if Dairon Blanco misses much time?

Tyler Gentry could fill in for Blanco. Although he doesn't have Blanco-type speed, he can handle the bat, hit a key game-deciding home run in Kansas City's first Cactus League game, and is 3-for-5 in the two spring contests he'd played through February 24. He also has 59 home runs in four minor league campaigns.

With 83rd percentile sprint speed, Wiemer is a possibility. He stole 11 bases as a Milwaukee Brewers rookie in 2023 and has 71 steals in parts of four minor league seasons. But he's slashing only .201/.279/.349 over 153 big league games.