Maikel Garcia is on fire.
Jaylon Thompson writes about the emergence of Maikel Garcia.
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, however, saw even better signs from Garcia after he displayed that pop. After Garcia’s second home run in the sixth inning, Picollo said the fourth-year pro didn’t appear to be thinking about yanking the ball out of the park.
Case in point: Garcia’s next at-bat was a single up the middle, and in the ninth, he grounded a ball to the right side to help advance teammate Cavan Biggio from second to third base with less than two outs.
“That’s very easy for a hitter to get in the box and try to drive the ball again over the fence, but he didn’t do that. He stayed within himself,” Picollo said. “It was a great sign of where he is not only physically, but more so mentally.”
David Lesky praises the steady hand of Matt Quatraro.
I know that some disagree with Matt Quatraro’s moves and the fact that he likes to get everyone playing time (though that complaint is insanely overstated). But the biggest role of a big league manager in modern times is to weather storms and actually manage the people. The bottom line is winning, so if the Royals weren’t doing it, it wouldn’t matter how great of a people manager he is, but the truth is that they went 86-76 last year and are now on pace to go 88-74 after a really difficult start to the season. The leadership of this team deserves a great deal of credit.
Anne Rogers has a minor league update, including Jac Caglianone’s transition to the outfield.
“Even early on with shagging, you could tell he reads the ball well off the bat,” Maier said. “He’s got a really good arm. … It’s exciting. Down the road, we’ll see how it plays out, but it’s good exposure for him right now. There will certainly be things to work on as the game exposes him to different things, but the initial look — the reads off the bat, the throws, the way he charges ground balls — it’s all been good to see.”
Maier added that Caglianone will play a few games per week in the outfield, with the rest of his reps coming at first base. Caglianone has a .938 OPS through 27 games in Double-A and hit two more homers this past weekend.
Anne Rogers has an injury update.
Hunter Harvey throwing a live BP right now at Kauffman Stadium. #Royals will see how he feels after throwing before mapping out the plan for what’s next, likely including a rehab assignment.
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) May 5, 2025
Craig Brown covers the weekend of Royals baseball.
Veteran pitcher Ross Stripling, who was in camp with the Royals, officially retires.
Political dysfunction is making it harder for Jackson County to keep the Royals and Chiefs.
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez lands on the Injured List.
What should the Red Sox do about first base?
The most astounding numbers of Aaron Judge’s torrid start.
The Blue Jays sign veteran pitchers Spencer Turnbull and José Ureña.
The Rangers tab Bret Boone as hitting coach.
The Padres are putting it all together and could be dangerous.
The Diamondbacks unveil their City Connect jerseys.
How have analytics impacted a GM’s job?
The New York Islanders win the NHL Draft lottery.
Cleveland’s Kenny Atkins wins NBA Coach of the Year.
Rite-Aid declares for bankruptcy for the second time.
Why do men fall in love faster than women?
The Thunderbolts are now the new Avengers.
Your song of the day is Wet Leg with catch these fists.