Kansas City Royals: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Royals Pitching Staff Coming Into Focus After Flurry of Roster Moves

The Kansas City Royals cleared up quite a bit of their pitching roster battle this week, but a few key decisions remain. Beginning on Tuesday, the Royals optioned three pitchers and five total players from the 40-man roster to Triple-A Omaha to begin the season.

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The Quiz of the Day

Who should be in this bullpen?

The roster is starting to come into focus with just over a week to go before the season opener. On the pitching staff, the Royals shipped out Ryan Bergert, Mason Black, Helcris Oliváres, and Mitch Spence this week.

Matt Strahm News / MLB on ClutchPoints / March 19

Royals star reliever gets crucial update after injury scare before Opening Day

Kansas City Royals star reliever Matt Strahm suffered an injury scare during the team’s 12-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Strahm was hit in the foot by a batted ball and removed from the game as a result.

Kansas City Royals News / Royals Review / March 18

Give me your Royals starting lineup

In nine days, the Royals will begin the regular season against the Braves in Atlanta. We have a fairly good idea which players will be in Matt Quatraro’s starting lineup, barring injury.

Eugenio Suarez News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Active 40-homer MLB seasons' quiz

There are 24 active MLB players with at least one 40-home run season under their belt. How many of those players can you name in five minutes?

The 'Last 30-HR season by MLB team' quiz

The '50-HR, .300 average MLB seasons' quiz

The 'Last 200-K pitcher by MLB team' quiz

Kansas City Royals News / Royals Review / March 18

The Royals dominated the World Baseball Classic

What an absolute blast of a tournament. To be entirely honest, I’ve never paid close attention to it until this year, but you can be sure I’ll be watching closely the next time they play one because that was some of the most fun I’ve ever gotten to have watching baseball.

Athletics News / Yardbarker

One storyline to follow for every MLB team in 2026

As Spring Training opens for 2026, all 30 teams have high hopes and big questions. These are the storylines to follow for each team heading into Opening Day.

Red Sox to sign former Yankees relief pitcher ahead of Opening Day

MLB announces 80-game suspension for Johan Rojas

Mets star gets help from former teammate after clubhouse issues

Three comeback arms to watch in National League East

Five X factors in the AL Central

Salvador Perez News / Kansas City Royals on SI / March 18

Royals' Salvador Perez Gets Candid About His Career Moving Forward

Team Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic title Tuesday, defeating Team USA in the championship game. Several Kansas City Royals players participated in the international tournament, with multiple advancing to the championship.

Carter Jensen News / Just Baseball / March 18

Carter Jensen Is Primed for a Major Breakout in 2026

The disparity surrounding the roller coaster that is prospect development has long been misunderstood. Baseball fans will look at prospect lists across multiple analysts and zone in on the little number next to the player and expect them to achieve those expectations in the shortest time possible.

Maikel Garcia News / Kansas City Royals on SI / March 18

Maikel Garcia Showed What Royals Fans Already Knew During WBC

Of over 500 players that appeared in this year's World Baseball Classic, there could only be one Most Valuable Player. Some global baseball fans might not have expected Maikel Garcia to be in the running for that honor.

Cole Ragans News / Royals Review / March 18

Cole Ragans named Opening Day starter

Opening Day is a day of tradition. And it is starting to become a tradition that Cole Ragans starts on Opening Day for the Royals. Ragans was named the starter for the March 27 opener against the Braves in Atlanta, the third consecutive year he has been given the honor.

Kansas City Royals News / Royals Review / March 18

Kansas City Royals news: Venezuela triumphs in World Baseball Classic final

With so many Kansas City Royals at the center, Craig Brown looks at what made Venezuela-Italy so joyous. Was this what is was like when Richard Williams watched Venus and Serena square off in a tennis tournament?

Athletics News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players that could be traded during the 2026 season

The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and it is never too early to start thinking about how it might unfold. Seemingly, every year, we have a decent handle on who should contend and who is likely to struggle, which makes looking ahead to the trade deadline inevitable.

Maikel Garcia News / CBSSports.com / March 17

Maikel Garcia named World Baseball Classic MVP for helping lead Venezuela to first ever title

Garcia went 10 for 26 in seven games

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The 'Active 100-catch NFL seasons' quiz

The 'Active multi-TD-catch NFL games' quiz

The 'MLB Rookies of the Year since 2000' quiz

The 'Active 30-point triple-doubles' quiz

Salvador Perez News / MLB on ClutchPoints / March 17

Salvador Perez gives 30 million reasons why World Baseball Classic Final is ‘different’

The World Baseball Classic Final is underway! Team Venezuela, one of the powerhouses of this year’s tournament, will be taking on the favorites Team USA in the finale of the triennial tournament.

Ryan Bergert News / Royals Review / March 17

Ryan Bergert among five sent to minors

Right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert was among five players assigned to the minors, along with pitchers Mason Black and Helcris Oliváres, and outfielders Kameron Misner and John Rave.

Kansas City Royals News / Athlon Sports / March 17

Vinnie Pasquantino’s Postgame Message Shows WBC’s Importance for Baseball

Team Italy was an afterthought entering the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), as baseball is not popular in the nation. However, the squad's surprise semifinal run might be the first step in changing that.

Derek Jeter News / Kansas City Royals on SI / March 17

FOX's Derek Jeter Takes Unnecessary Shot at Kansas City on WBC Broadcast

The focus was supposed to be on Maikel Garcia's big moment for Team Venezuela, but for some reason, Derek Jeter couldn't help saying something negative about the Kansas City Royals.

Vinnie Pasquantino News / Total Pro Sports / March 17

Vinnie Pasquantino Drops Emotional Message After WBC Exit

Italy’s fairytale run, when it ended, left quite a mark. And right at the center of it all was Vinnie Pasquantino, who turned a semifinal exit into something way bigger than a final score. Monday night in Miami was the stuff of dreams.

Bobby Witt Jr. News / Total Pro Sports / March 16

'This Is Our Game' – Bobby Witt Jr. Holds Nothing Back After Strong Semifinal Performance

The margin was razor-thin, but the message from Bobby Witt Jr. was pretty clear. Team USA survived a tense 2-1 battle against the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinal on March 15.

Kansas City Royals News / Just Baseball / March 16

Five Kansas City Royals Spring Training Storylines to Watch

The Kansas City Royals have a very strong roster, and they’ll look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2024 after missing the postseason last year.

Cole Ragans News / Just Baseball / March 15

A Healthy Cole Ragans Will Immensely Help the 2026 Royals

The Kansas City Royals have leaned on their starting pitching for success over the past two seasons. In 2024, the Royals’ rotation ranked second in ERA at 3.55.

MLB News / Yardbarker / March 14