Latest news with #MattQuatraro
Reuters
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. (back) not in lineup on Sunday
August 10 - All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. did not start for Kansas City in Sunday's game at Minnesota due to what Royals manager Matt Quatraro termed as a stiff back. It marked just the second time this season that Witt was not in the Royals' starting lineup. He sat out the Royals' 8-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 23 to rest his knee. Witt has produced a .284/.340/.493 slash line with 17 homers and 30 stolen bases in 116 games this season. He leads the major leagues with 37 doubles. According to Quatraro, Witt woke up with a stiff back on Saturday morning. He went 0-for-4 with one strikeout in Saturday's 2-0 win. Maikel Garcia, usually the Royals' third baseman, shifted to make the start at shortstop Sunday. Adam Frazier stepped in at third. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Royals' Mike Yastrzemski immediately rewards KC with post-trade home run
The post Royals' Mike Yastrzemski immediately rewards KC with post-trade home run appeared first on ClutchPoints. Only a day after joining the Kansas City Royals from the San Francisco Giants, veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski wasted no time making an impact for the Royals, launching a two-run homer in his first plate appearance with the club on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The 370-foot shot to right-center came off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman in the second inning, giving the Royals an early 2–1 lead. Yastrzemski, who was hitting sixth and playing right field, joined the team in Toronto after flying in Friday morning, passport in hand, having learned of the trade during a golf outing in New York the previous day. The Kansas City Royals acquired Yastrzemski in exchange for minor league pitcher Yunior Marte. The 34-year-old outfielder, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the 2025 season, had appeared in 96 games with San Francisco this year, slashing .231/.330/.355 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs, and six stolen bases before the deal. His home run on Friday marked his ninth of the season. Yastrzemski brings a veteran presence to a reshaped Royals lineup that also recently added Randal Grichuk and Adam Frazier. Manager Matt Quatraro noted that while Yastrzemski, a left-handed hitter, will see regular starts against right-handed pitching, he and Grichuk are not in a strict platoon system. The Royals also made several pitching moves at the deadline. Bailey Falter (acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates) and rookie Ryan Bergert (acquired from the San Diego Padres) are expected to join the rotation next week during the upcoming series in Boston. Meanwhile, Stephen Kolek, another acquisition from the San Diego Padres, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to be stretched out as a starter. The Yastrzemski trade coincided with the departure of catcher Freddy Fermin, dealt to the Padres in exchange for Bergert and Kolek. Fermin had made 51 starts behind the plate this season, while Salvador Perez had started 54. Veteran Luke Maile now steps in as Perez's primary backup as the Royals manage the 35-year-old's workload during a grueling August stretch. Yastrzemski, who wore No. 5 with the Giants, debuted for the Royals wearing No. 18, as George Brett's No. 5 is retired in Kansas City. Nevertheless, Yastrzemski made one thing clear on Day 1, that he's here to contribute, and he started with a bang. Related: Royals trade for Mike Yastrzemski in surprising deal Related: Royals trade for Pirates' Bailey Falter ahead of deadline
Reuters
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Royals' Salvador Perez aims to ride power surge vs. Jays
August 3 - Salvador Perez is on a homer binge, and the visiting Kansas City Royals would like the trend to continue Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The teams have split the first two contests of their series, with Perez hitting a home run in each game. His second homer of the series came against Max Scherzer in the sixth inning of Toronto's 4-2 victory on Saturday. Perez also hit his first career homer against Scherzer on Aug. 29, 2011. He has 11 home runs in his past 21 games. "We need him and other guys to do it, too," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "You provide power in the middle of the lineup, and that is a big threat at any time." Perez became the first Royals player to have nine seasons with 20 or more home runs. Hall of Famer George Brett had eight. With 293 career home runs, he is close to becoming the eighth catcher to reach 300 in his career. The Royals are going for a series win that would give them a good start to their nine-game road trip. They hope that scheduled starter Seth Lugo (8-5, 3.03 ERA) can continue his success against the Blue Jays. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over six career games (two starts) against them. The Blue Jays, who lead the American League East by four games, are expected to counter with right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-5, 4.24). In seven career starts against Kansas City, he is 1-2 with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings. The Royals picked up two more injuries on Saturday. Second baseman Jonathan India was hit by a pitch on his left wrist and forearm in the third inning. He left the game in the fifth. "It's just a contusion," Quatraro said. "We got an X-ray and nothing is broken. Just sore. He has been battling that wrist, anyway, and he was hit there again." Reliever Steven Cruz left in the seventh with discomfort in his right shoulder and he will have further evaluation. "He felt a little pinching," Quatraro said. "Just kind of some normal throwing discomfort." Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman left the game in the fourth inning with what was termed a head contusion. He took a foul ball off his mask in the third inning and was hit on the hand by a pitch in the bottom of the third. Toronto manager John Schneider said that early indications were that he did not have a concussion. "It's more of a head contusion," Schneider said. "When I went out there, it was more kind of a headache, and his jaw got it a little bit. So, we will check him out (Sunday) and, hopefully, dodge a bullet. But he is doing all right." With catcher Alejandro Kirk on the concussion injured list, Ali Sanchez took over behind the plate. Kirk is expected to return to action on Sunday. "(Heineman) wanted to keep going, felt like he could keep going and, unfortunately, you've got to take it out of their hands sometimes," Schneider said. Toronto outfielder George Springer also is out with a concussion after being hit by a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles last week. The Blue Jays returned from a 4-4 road trip for a short homestand. They will hit the road again Monday for six games against the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. --Field Level Media
Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Royals' trade deadline moves aim to balance winning now and building for the future
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals found themselves in a strange and precarious position at the trade deadline: They were both buyers and sellers, interested in supplementing the club to win now while simultaneously continuing to build for the future. HT Image In other words, they wanted to have it all. They largely succeeded, too. By the time manager Matt Quatraro and the Royals boarded a plane late Thursday destined for a weekend series in Toronto, the roster looked a whole lot different from how it did just days ago. They had traded backup catcher Freddy Fermin and a few other assets that didn't necessarily figure into their immediate- or long-range plans, and in return got an outfielder and three pitchers capable of starting — a haul of four players who can help their big league club immediately. The swap with the Padres of Fermin for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek fortified their rotation, which has been hit hard by injuries, as did the deal with Pittsburgh that sent minor leaguers Evan Sisk and Callan Moss for left-hander Bailey Falter. Then, minutes before Thursday's deadline, the Royals upgraded their outfielder by landing right fielder Matt Yastrzemski — who is particularly good against right-handed pitching — for low-minors pitching prospect Yunior Marte. 'What we've done,' Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said, 'is going to allow us to work through the year with the pitchers we have in an efficient way, in a way that's going to be healthy for all of them, and we're just excited to get these guys. 'It's 14 years of club control on the starting pitching side of things.' That last bit is important: The pitchers the Royals landed will be theirs for a while. They headed into Friday night's series against the Blue Jays well out of the AL Central lead but only 3 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot, which they parlayed last season into a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs. They had followed up an abysmal month of June in which they went 8-18 by going 15-9 in July, clawing themselves back to within a game of .500. So, the Royals believe they are still very much in the thick of the postseason hunt, and they needed the help to do it. 'We're playing better right now,' Picollo acknowledged. 'I like the way we're starting to score some runs.' Yet the Royals aren't exactly in a position to go all-in, either, so those moves came with a certain level of judiciousness. They did not want to part with any of their prospects, because they foresee a window to win over the next several years, particularly with a young core headlined by All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. under their control through 2029 and even beyond. 'We're still a fairly young team with a young core together, and trying to build that culture of winning is extremely important to us,' Picollo said. 'I'm just really glad that we're not in that position where we felt like we had to (sell).' Instead, the Royals will turn their attention to the task of making up that ground in the wild-card race. They begin with a tough three games against the Blue Jays, the surprising leaders of the AL East, before a set in Boston against a team currently holding down a wild-card spot. But then comes a tantalizing stretch of nine games — six in the friendly confines of Kauffman Stadium — against the Twins, White Sox and Nationals, all clubs with losing records. Yastrzemski reported to the club and was active for Friday night's game in Toronto, and the Royals also activated infielder-outfielder Nick Loftin from the injured list. Kolek and outfielder MJ Melendez were optioned to Triple-A Omaha, pitcher Kris Bubic was transferred to the 60-day injured list and outfielder Joey Wiemer was designated for assignment. Meanwhile, the Royals are hopeful that starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen can return from the injured list, further bolstering a staff that Picollo managed to make deeper and more talented at the trade deadline. 'You can't be reckless about things. We have to be smart in what we do,' Picollo said. 'When we talked about trying to win now and take care of the future, I think that's what we did.' ___ AP MLB:
NBC Sports
01-08-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Royals' trade deadline moves aim to balance winning now and building for the future
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals found themselves in a strange and precarious position at the trade deadline: They were both buyers and sellers, interested in supplementing the club to win now while simultaneously continuing to build for the future. In other words, they wanted to have it all. They largely succeeded, too. By the time manager Matt Quatraro and the Royals boarded a plane destined for a weekend series in Toronto, the roster looked a whole lot different from how it did just days ago. They had traded backup catcher Freddy Fermin and a few other assets that didn't necessarily figure into their immediate- or long-range plans, and in return got an outfielder and three pitchers capable of starting — a haul of four players who can help their big league club immediately. The swap with the Padres of Fermin for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek fortified their rotation, which has been hit hard by injuries, as did the deal with Pittsburgh that sent minor leaguers Evan Sisk and Callan Moss for left-hander Bailey Falter. Then, minutes before the deadline, the Royals upgraded their outfielder by landing right fielder Matt Yastrzemski — who particularly is good against right-handed pitching — for low-minors pitching prospect Yunior Marte. 'What we've done,' Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said, 'is going to allow us to work through the year with the pitchers we have in an efficient way, in a way that's going to be healthy for all of them, and we're just excited to get these guys. 'It's 14 years of club control on the starting pitching side of things.' That last bit is important: The pitchers the Royals landed will be theirs for a while. They headed into the series against the Blue Jays well out of the AL Central lead but only 3 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot, which they parlayed last season into a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs. They had followed up an abysmal month of June in which they went 8-18 by going 15-9 in July, clawing themselves back to within a game of .500. So, the Royals believe they are still very much in the thick of the postseason hunt, and they needed the help to do it. 'We're playing better right now,' Picollo acknowledged. 'I like the way we're starting to score some runs.' Yet the Royals aren't exactly in a position to go all-in, either, so those moves came with a certain level of judiciousness. They did not want to part with any of their prospects, because they foresee a window to win over the next several years, particularly with a young core headlined by All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. under their control through 2029 and even beyond. 'We're still a fairly young team with a young core together, and trying to build that culture of winning is extremely important to us,' Picollo said. 'I'm just really glad that we're not in that position where we felt like we had to (sell).' Instead, the Royals will turn their attention to the task of making up that ground in the wild-card race. They begin with a tough three games against the Blue Jays, the surprising leaders of the AL East, before a set in Boston against a team currently holding down a wild-card spot. But then comes a tantalizing stretch of nine games — six in the friendly confines of Kauffman Stadium — against the Twins, White Sox and Nationals, all clubs with losing records. Along the way, the Royals are hopeful that starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen can return from the injured list, further bolstering a staff that Picollo managed to make deeper and more talented at the trade deadline. 'You can't be reckless about things. We have to be smart in what we do,' Picollo said. 'When we talked about trying to win now and take care of the future, I think that's what we did.'
