Royals Must Bench Struggling Infielder, New Report Suggests

The Kansas City Royals are fighting to stay in the American League Central race.

Since the start of the 2025 season, Kansas City has grappled with a lineup that’s struggled to find consistency.

While Bobby Witt Jr. continues to dazzle, the team’s offensive woes have sparked debate among fans and analysts about potential roster adjustments.

One player’s underwhelming performance has drawn particular scrutiny, with some arguing for a drastic change to spark the lineup.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently weighed in, highlighting the case for a shake-up in the infield.

“After trying for 10 days to play through an ankle sprain suffered in late May, Michael Massey landed on the IL a week ago," Miller wrote.

"So, in a way, he has already been benched. Prior to the injury, though, the 27-year-old had played in 51 of Kansas City's first 56 games, still ranking sixth on the team in plate appearances at the moment in spite of a horrendous .479 OPS that ranks dead-last among the 191 players with at least 200 plate appearances. What's maddening about that lack of production is that Massey was one of Kansas City's more valuable position players not named Bobby Witt Jr. last season. Heck, he hit leadoff for five of the Royals' six postseason games, going 7-for-23 in the process."

"Massey also posted a .408 (20-for-49) batting average in spring training before spending the first 10 weeks of the regular season straddling the Mendoza Line," Miller continued.

"While the other options presently on Kansas City's roster haven't been much better, how have the Royals not at least given Cam Devanney a shot in the bigs? He has a .939 OPS and 12 home runs at Triple-A Omaha this season, and he can play anywhere in the infield. The 28-year-old isn't one of their premier prospects, but it's worth finding out if he could provide a temporary jolt to a lineup in which only four players have hit at least four home runs.”

Massey’s struggles are stark. Meanwhile, Devanney’s production in Triple-A has fueled calls for his promotion. His versatility across the infield and impressive OPS make him an intriguing option, especially with Massey sidelined until late June.

The Royals’ reluctance to call up Devanney may stem from loyalty to Massey, a 2019 fourth-round pick who showed promise last season.

However, with Massey’s strikeout rate climbing and his walk rate the lowest in baseball, promoting Devanney could provide the offensive spark Kansas City desperately needs.

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