Royals Get Updated 2025 Postseason Prediction From ESPN Writer

The Kansas City Royals are teetering on the edge of the playoff picture... but it's also still too early to care.

Through 55 games, the Royals are 29-26. That's largely thanks to the stretch they put together from Apr. 20 to May 9, though, when they went 16-2 against mostly inferior opponents.

As a postseason team last year, the Royals had high expectations for an October return. They've got Bobby Witt Jr. and a strong pitching staff, but the rest of their offense has been hugely disappointing to this point in the season.

However, because the American League is a jumbled-up mess, the Royals are still in good position. The only concern is that they're also in fourth place in the shockingly competent AL Central at the moment.

Still, ESPN's Jesse Rogers projected Monday that the Royals would wind up making it to the playoffs, as part of the site's Major League Baseball "standings check."

"It's highly doubtful the AL Central will take four teams to the playoffs, so that's where there's an opening for a couple of teams from outside the current wild-card standings to make it," Rogers wrote.

"Two of the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers will make it to the postseason along with the current three division leaders. The question is which of the other three AL Central teams -- the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals--will join them. I think the answer is the Royals."

According to Tankathon, the Royals have the eighth-hardest remaining strength of schedule. A lot of that strength comes from those in-division foes, so Kansas City will have their work cut out for them to secure their second-straight playoff berth.

Still, there's time for some hitters the Royals believed would be reliable contributors, like Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, to get into gear. And because they're in a virtual tie with the Houston Astros for the American League's thid Wild Card spot, the season essentially starts right now.

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