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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-seth-lugo-insane-pitching-feat-yankees');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals pitcher Seth Lugo pulls off insane pitching feat vs. Yankees');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Seth-Lugo-pulls-off-insane-pitching-feat-vs.jpg"><figcaption>Peter Aiken-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Royals pitcher Seth Lugo pulls off insane pitching feat vs. Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T09:42:24-07:00">April 15th, 9:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T11:43:38-07:00">April 15th, 11:43am</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals came up short against the New York Yankees on Monday night, falling 4-1 at Yankee Stadium in the first meeting between the two teams <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/mlb-news-full-blown-brawl-nearly-happened-in-heated-yankees-royals-alds-game-4">since the 2024 ALDS</a>. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-seth-lugo-gets-real-wild-eight-pitch-repertoire">Royals starter Seth Lugo</a> took the loss, but if it’s any consolation, he pulled off a bonkers feat in the process.</p><p>As Tom Verducci pointed out on the game broadcast, Lugo had <a href="https://x.com/jonmorosi/status/1911937868194292214" rel="noopener">thrown nine different</a> pitch types by 8:20 p.m. ET, when the game was still in the fifth inning.</p><p>Lugo, now 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA on the young season, is known for his wide arsenal of pitches and he doesn’t hesitate to unfurl them all. By the time his 6.2 innings were done, he had thrown 10. He threw 98 total pitches, with 22 four-seam fastballs to lead the way. He also threw 16 curveballs and sinkers each, 11 cutters, eight changeups and sliders, seven slow curves, five slurves, four splitters and a sweeper, according to FanGraphs.</p><p>The velocity on his pitches ranged from 73.6 mph to 92.2 mph. Overall, he threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes, walking two Yankees and striking out four.</p><h2><b>Royals pitcher Seth Lugo also allows wild home run feat</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jazz-Chisholm-Jr.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Yankees scored all four of their runs on Monday via the solo home run, all off of Lugo. That makes Lugo only the fifth Royals pitcher ever to <a href="https://x.com/KSeaboldt/status/1912171981107044844/photo/1" rel="noopener">allow at least four runs</a>, all on solo shots, and the first since 2016 (Chris Young). Young gave up five runs that day, also against the Yankees. The others, Zack Greinke, Jeff Suppan and Jim Pittsley, all gave up four apiece.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-jazz-chisholm-jr-aaron-judge-elite-club-6th-hr-2025">Jazz Chisholm Jr.</a>, Austin Wells, Trent Grisham and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-explains-hot-start-2025">Ben Rice were the four Yankees to go yard</a> on Lugo, and after the game, Chisholm explained <a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/bobby-witt-jr-homers-in-royals-loss-to-yankees" rel="noopener">the New York approach</a>.</p><p>“We all know that he’s very aggressive in the zone; he doesn’t like to walk people,” he said, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “If you watch his last couple of games, he’s really been in the strike zone a lot, and in the strike zone early. I think we went up there with a plan of attack [to] get your pitch early. He throws eight or nine pitches, but get your pitch early and attack it.”</p><p>The Royals will try to get back on track against new Yankees ace Max Fried on Tuesday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals pitcher Seth Lugo pulls off insane pitching feat vs. Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-royals-bullpen-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals bullpen dealt difficult injury blow');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hunter-Harvey-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals bullpen dealt difficult injury blow</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T22:52:14-07:00">April 11th, 10:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T22:52:14-07:00">April 11th, 10:52pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/royals-news-top-prospect-achieves-eye-popping-feat-in-1st-minor-league-ab">Kansas City Royals’ bullpen suffered a tough setback</a> Friday when the team placed reliever Hunter Harvey on the 15-day injured list with a right teres major strain. The injury is <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/royals-hunter-harvey-injured-list-teres-major-strain.html?utm_source=twitter" rel="noopener">classified as a Grade 1 strain</a>—the least severe—but Harvey will remain in Kansas City to begin a rehab program while the team heads out on a 10-day road trip.</p><p>Harvey, 30, had gotten off to a blistering start in 2025, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings across six appearances. He allowed just one hit, issued no walks, and struck out seven. The hard-throwing righty appeared to be in top form after battling injuries over the past few seasons, but he began feeling discomfort in his shoulder/armpit area while warming up during Thursday’s game. He alerted the training staff after the game,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-hamstring-injury"> leading to an MRI that revealed the strain.</a></p><p>“Hopefully it’s mild enough to be a very short stint on the IL,” said manager Matt Quatraro. “But nonetheless, he is on the IL.”</p><p>In Harvey’s absence, the Royals recalled right-hander Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha. Cruz wasted no time making an impression, throwing a scoreless seventh inning in Friday’s 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Featuring a fastball that touched 98 mph and a sharp slider, Cruz <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/hunter-harvey-injured-list-shoulder-strain" rel="noopener">will now have an opportunity</a> to carve out a more significant role.</p><h2><b>Royals bullpen needs guys to step up in Hunter Harvey’s absence</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hunter-Harvey.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Sewell-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“He’s got big stuff, he’s not scared,” Quatraro said of Cruz. “He’s able to pitch in a lot of different roles, go multiple innings if needed. It’s a good opportunity for him.”</p><p>Harvey’s injury is a blow for a Kansas City bullpen that had emerged as a strength early in the season. Alongside Carlos Estévez and Lucas Erceg, Harvey helped anchor a late-inning trio that had allowed just one earned run across 17 2/3 innings with 17 strikeouts. Estévez has notched four saves, while Harvey frequently appeared in tight spots to set the tone.</p><p>“Especially with the way his tenure with us started—just a few games last year and then the back thing—it’s frustrating,” Quatraro said. “To be back and throwing well this spring and early in the season, and then feel something while warming up… it’s very unfortunate. Definitely feel for him.”</p><p>With Harvey sidelined, Quatraro indicated that the Royals will continue to lean on Estévez and Erceg, while mixing and matching based on matchups. John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, and Daniel Lynch IV—who has not allowed a run in 27 2/3 innings dating back to last August—will all take on increased responsibility.</p><p>“There’s a lot of confidence in the depth we have,” Quatraro said. “We’ll adjust based on the situation. That’s part of the game.” Harvey will be re-evaluated next week as the Royals monitor his recovery.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals bullpen dealt difficult injury blow

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-top-prospect-achieves-eye-popping-feat-in-1st-minor-league-ab');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals’ top prospect achieves eye-popping feat in 1st minor league AB');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Royals-prospect-Jac-Caglianone.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Royals’ top prospect achieves eye-popping feat in 1st minor league AB</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T20:11:13-07:00">April 11th, 8:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T20:11:13-07:00">April 11th, 8:11pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Coming off last season’s surprising postseason run, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/kansas-city-royals-2025-over-under-win-total-prediction-odds-pick">Kansas City Royals are looking</a> to make an even bigger statement in 2025. A young core fueled by last year’s AL MVP runner-up in Bobby Witt Jr. could be a dangerous team for a very long time. General manager J.J Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro are working hand in hand to build the next contending Royals teams. 2024 first-round pick Jac Caglianone could be the next piece of that core, and he showed off just how naturally talented he is on Thursday. In his first at-bat in Double-A, the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/royals-prospect-jac-caglianone-hard-hit-single?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage" rel="noopener">designated hitter hit a single</a> almost 121 miles per hour according to MLB.com’s Kenny Van Doren.</p><p>“In his first at-bat for Double-A Northwest Arkansas against Frisco, Caglianone smoked a reported 120.9 mph single the opposite way, per the Trackman system at Arvest Ballpark,” wrote Van Doren. “For perspective, Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz recorded the top mark of 122.4 mph on a single Aug. 24, 2022. Cruz also logged the hardest-hit ball between Triple-A and the Florida State League with a 121.7 mph single on May 12, 2022. Caglianone’s knock would be the 12th-hardest hit ball in the Statcast era.”</p><p>Following an eye-popping spring training in which he showed why he could be in the majors as soon as this summer. Entering Thursday, the man also known as “Cags” was hitting .333 with two home runs and 11 RBIs through his first five games in the Naturals. At the moment, he’s the Royals’ top prospect. As the team tries to make another trip to the playoffs, they could use all the help they can get. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/25-best-mlb-prospects-ahead-of-2025-season">Will Caglianone be a part</a> of this season’s potential playoff squad.</p><h2><b>Could Jac Caglianone make major league debut for Royals this season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Royals-manager-Matt-Quatraro.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/fatal-flaw-kansas-city-royals-must-address-2025-mlb-season">The Royals have gotten off</a> to a 7-7 start, but there’s still plenty of time left in the season. 148 games to be precise. Kris Bubic has continued to breakout. The offense, led by Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia, has had a solid start. The AL Central is wide open as well.</p><p>Three of the four AL divisional teams last year were from the Central, including the Royals. The team hung tough with the New York Yankees before falling in four games. Quatraro and Picollo have built an emerging and deep system that should feed the major league team for years to come. Will those <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-sports/florida-baseball-star-breaks-school-home-run-record-college-world-series-pursuit">potential core pieces, like Caglianone,</a> continue to make an impact this season?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals’ top prospect achieves eye-popping feat in 1st minor league AB

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-orioles-fans-tomoyuki-suganos-admission-1st-mlb-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tomoyuki-Sugano-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-06T00:44:36-07:00">April 6th, 12:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-06T00:44:36-07:00">April 6th, 12:44am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/orioles-news-orioles-trade-for-cubs-pitcher-acquired-cody-bellinger-deal">earn his first Major League win on Saturday</a> — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/orioles-news-tomoyuki-sugano-championship-message">he made a statement that’ll fire up the entire Orioles fanbase</a>. After holding the Kansas City Royals to just one run over 5 1/3 innings, the 35-year-old rookie <a href="https://x.com/jcalvinmeyer/status/1908661133193761089" rel="noopener">had this to say</a> via interpreter Yuto Sakurai:</p><p>“I’m not here to win one game in the major leagues. I’m here to win day to day and, ultimately, get the championship.” via  Chandler Rome on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Sugano, a two-time Sawamura Award winner in Japan (essentially their version of the Cy Young), looked like the decorated veteran he is after a shaky debut. Gone were the hand cramps and nerves <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/tomoyuki-sugano-gets-first-career-win-with-orioles" rel="noopener">that plagued his first outing</a>. On Saturday, it was all poise and precision.</p><p>He allowed just five hits, one walk, and struck out four as the Orioles snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-1 win at Kauffman Stadium. Even more impressive was Sugano’s pitch mix — six different offerings, from sweepers to splitters, cutters to curveballs — keeping the Royals off balance all afternoon.</p><h2><b>Orioles defeat the Royals on Saturday, end losing skid </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Tomoyuki-Sugano.jpg"><figcaption>William Purnell-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“He was really attacking the strike zone,” said catcher Gary Sánchez, who drove in two early runs. “All the pitches worked the way they were supposed to today.”</p><p>The biggest test came in the fifth. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Sugano buckled down and retired the next three batters. That momentum carried into a four-run sixth inning for Baltimore, giving Sugano all the run support he’d need.</p><p>The only blemish came when Bobby Witt Jr. took him deep in the sixth, but even that came after a long wait between innings in the frigid Kansas City weather.</p><p>Still, Sugano did his job — and he got the full treatment from the team afterward. The Orioles celebrated his milestone win with a beer shower, pushing Sugano through the clubhouse in a laundry cart.</p><p>“Typically in Japan, the beer shower only happens during the championship,” Sugano said. “So I was really happy to get that treatment. It made me feel like I want to succeed even more.”</p><p>Manager Brandon Hyde noted Sugano looked much more comfortable this time around. “Really good command like he had in Spring Training with all of his pitches,” Hyde said.</p><p>Baltimore’s bats backed him up big time. The Orioles’ 5-through-9 hitters combined for eight hits and all eight RBIs. Rookie Jackson Holliday went 3-for-4 with a two-run single, and Heston Kjerstad came up clutch against a lefty reliever, proving he deserves more at-bats.</p><p>With Colton Cowser sidelined, Kjerstad’s big knock could earn him more playing time — especially if he keeps delivering in high-leverage moments. The Orioles improved to 4-5, matching last season’s record through nine games — and we all know how that story ended. With Sugano looking like a stabilizing force in a rotation still missing key arms, Baltimore just might have found another piece of its winning formula.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Orioles fans will love Tomoyuki Sugano’s admission after 1st MLB win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/orioles-news-baltimore-royals-trade-game-nick-gordon');   ga('set', 'title', 'Orioles, Royals make trade before head-to-head matchup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Nick-Gordon-scores-a-run.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Orioles, Royals make trade before head-to-head matchup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-05T10:59:28-07:00">April 5th, 10:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-05T10:59:28-07:00">April 5th, 10:59am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Baltimore Orioles are playing the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The Royals and Orioles <a href="https://x.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1908570562143854604" rel="noopener">also made</a> a trade on Saturday before their head-to-head matchup, per Robert Murray of Fansided.</p><p>“Trade: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring Nick Gordon from the Baltimore Orioles, sources say. Gordon, who was in Triple-A with the Orioles, has hit .244/.283/.386 with 23 home runs and 112 RBI in four major-league seasons,” Murray wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Royals acquire Nick Gordon from Orioles</b></h2><p>As Murray wrote, Gordon was in Triple-A. He does have MLB experience, however.</p><p>The 29-year-old made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Minnesota Twins. His best season came in 2022, though, as he slashed .272/.316/.427/.743 across 136 big league games. Gordon added nine home runs and six stolen bases.</p><p>After playing in Minnesota from 2021-2023, Gordon joined the Miami Marlins for the 2024 campaign. He appeared in 95 MLB games last season, hitting .227 with a .627 OPS.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/fatal-flaw-kansas-city-royals-must-address-2025-mlb-season">Royals are hoping to make another postseason run</a> this year. Acquiring a veteran such as Gordon from the Orioles could help their situation. Kansas City features a fairly young team overall, so players with multiple years of MLB experience are especially valuable for the team. Gordon also offers defensive versatility.</p><p>The Orioles, meanwhile, are also looking to compete. Baltimore has displayed signs of potential in recent seasons, but they have yet to make a true World Series run. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-gunnar-henderson-playing-tonight-royals-latest-injury-update">Gunnar Henderson recently returned from injury</a>, and he has a realistic opportunity to help the O’s take the next step.</p><p>When it comes to the Orioles-Royals current series, Kansas City took care of business on Friday. The Royals defeated the Orioles by a final score of 8-2. Baltimore and Kansas City will play once again on Saturday before the series finale on Sunday.</p><p>The Orioles will attempt to bounce back on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Orioles, Royals make trade before head-to-head matchup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-kc-feat-george-brett');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino accomplishes KC feat not seen since George Brett');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Royals-news-Vinnie-Pasquantino-accomplishes-KC-feat-not-seen-since-George-Brett.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino accomplishes KC feat not seen since George Brett</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-05T09:26:41-07:00">April 5th, 9:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-05T09:26:41-07:00">April 5th, 9:26am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a few weeks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-hamstring-injury" rel="noopener">Kansas City Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino injured his hamstring</a> and shortly thereafter made team history. </p><p>On Friday, Pasquantino <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1908356924459860181" rel="noopener">solidified his place</a> in the history books by becoming the first Royal to hit a three-run single since George Brett in 1985, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. The moment came in the 8th inning against the Baltimore Orioles. </p><p>Pasquantino hit a bloop single that cleared the bases and drove in three of the Royals’ five runs in that inning. The Royals went on to win the game 8-2 to start the season 3-4. </p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-pasquatch-nickname-origin">Pasquantinois is affectionately known as “Pasquatch”</a> on the team, apparently for his distinct look and his hitting ability. He is known for his versatile hitting who can hit for average and for power when necessary. </p><p>Brett became the first Royals player to hit a three-run single on June 20, 1985, against the Milwaukee Brewers. </p><p>Brett was the Royals’ franchise player from 1973-1993 and became a Hall of Famer. Aside from surpassing Brett’s feat, Pasquantino shares a unique connection with Brett in their approach to hitting. </p><h2><b>The one commonality between Pasquantino and Brett </b></h2><p>Brett referred to Pasquantino as the “Italian Nightmare” during the Royals’ spring training. The biggest common denominator between the two is plate discipline and a low strikeout rate. </p><p>Throughout his career, Brett was a consistent hitter who walked more than he struck out. In his MVP year of 1980, Brett hit twenty-four home runs, struck out twenty-two times, and batted .390. From 1976-1989, he walked more than struck out during that fourteen-season stretch. </p><p>Pasquantino has a career strikeout rate of 22.9 percent and has seventy-five strikeouts in 554 attempts at bat. In his rookie season with the Royals in 2022, Pasquantino struck out only 34 times in 111 plate appearances. </p><p>Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt has noticed the comparison between the two. He has mentioned before that he asked Brett questions about strikeouts and that Pasquantino has the same mindset as Brett. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino accomplishes KC feat not seen since George Brett

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-3-consecutive-moves-before-mlb-opening-day');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals make 3 consecutive moves before MLB Opening Day');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Royals-news-Kansas-City-makes-3-consecutive-moves-before-MLB-Opening-Day.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals make 3 consecutive moves before MLB Opening Day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T22:47:36-07:00">March 24th, 10:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T22:57:20-07:00">March 24th, 10:57pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals reached the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons last year. Royals fans have renewed hope in the team thanks in large part to rising star Bobby Witt Jr. In 2024, he became the only shortstop in baseball history with multiple 30/30 seasons. And expectations are even higher in 2025 as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-judge-al-mvp-repeat-bobby-witt-jr-poll">Witt is favored to win AL MVP</a> over Aaron Judge.</p><p>Unfortunately, Witt can’t pitch. The Royals could use the depth as the team will start the season with three pitchers <a href="https://x.com/Royals/status/1904369972555448613" rel="noopener">on the shelf</a>.</p><p>Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright and James McArthur have all been moved to the 15-day injured list, according to the Royals’ official account on X.</p><p>Wright will begin his second straight season on the IL as he continues to recover from right shoulder surgery. A shoulder injury limited Wright to just seven starts in 2023 and kept him <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-kyle-wright-injury-update-2024">out for the entire 2024 season</a>. However, he’s making progress in his long journey back to the mound.</p><h2><b>The Royals could get a mid season boost from return of injured pitchers </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Alec-Marsh.jpg"><figcaption>Peter Aiken-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Last week, Wright faced hitters for the first time since his last Major League appearance in September 2023. He has yet to pitch in a spring training game as the Royals are bringing him along slowly. But the team believes he’ll be worth the wait.</p><p>In 2022, Wright led all of baseball with 21 wins. That season he posted a 3.19 ERA, 1.159 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 180.1 innings. The Royals hope Wright can return to form and if all goes well, he could <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/kyle-wright-alec-marsh-take-next-steps-in-rehab-for-royals" rel="noopener">join the team</a> in May, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com.</p><p>Marsh is slightly ahead of Wright in his recovery. The 26-year-old righty is dealing with a right shoulder impingement that’s kept him sidelined this spring. However, he was able to pitch in a Minor League game, facing hitters for the first time this spring training.</p><p>The Royals believe Marsh could return to the team at some point in April but they don’t intend to rush him back. Last season Marsh started 25 games for Kansas City and had a 4.53 ERA, 1.256 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 129 innings.</p><p>As for McArthur, the right-handed reliever is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured olecranon in his right elbow and there is no current timeline for his return to the Royals. McArthur has shown flashes over his brief MLB career. Last season he saved 18 games for Kansas City. But he struggled over the second half before an elbow issue landed him on the injured list in September.</p><p>The Royals have also had several injury scares with position players this spring. Most recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-hamstring-injury">Vinnie Pasquantino suffered a hamstring strain</a> that has jeopardized his Opening Day status.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals make 3 consecutive moves before MLB Opening Day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-judge-al-mvp-repeat-bobby-witt-jr-poll');   ga('set', 'title', 'Aaron Judge’s AL MVP repeat dreams dashed by Bobby Witt Jr. in poll');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Yankees-news-Aaron-Judges-AL-MVP-repeat-dreams-dashed-by-Bobby-Witt-Jr.-in-poll.jpg"></figure><h1>Aaron Judge’s AL MVP repeat dreams dashed by Bobby Witt Jr. in poll</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T07:49:52-07:00">March 24th, 7:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T07:49:52-07:00">March 24th, 7:49am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees come into the 2025 MLB season with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/largest-contracts-mlb-history-after-juan-soto-765-million-deal">high expectations even after losing Juan Soto</a>. That is mostly because of Aaron Judge, the Yankees captain who hit 59 homers last year. He won the American League MVP unanimously, beating out Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6222015/2025/03/24/mlb-predictions-2025-world-series/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">In a preseason poll</a>, staffers at The Athletic picked Witt to clip Judge and win his first MVP Award.</p><p>“The American League hasn’t had a back-to-back MVP winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and ’13. That might explain why only five of our writers picked Aaron Judge to win the MVP this season,” Chad Jennings wrote.</p><p>“Instead, our writers are all-in on Bobby Witt Jr. who’s coming off his own elite season, one of the greatest ever by a shortstop. Witt got 18 of 33 votes for AL MVP. Gunnar Henderson got three votes, and no other player — other than Judge — got more than two,” he continued.</p><p>The Yankees need Judge to have an MVP season to compete for the AL pennant. Just look at 2023, when he hurt his foot in the outfield at Dodgers Stadium and they missed the playoffs.</p><p>The rest of the voting in this poll includes: Corey Seager, Julio Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Jose Ramirez, and Isaac Paredes.</p><h2><b>How can Aaron Judge repeat as American League MVP?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Aaron-Judge-with-NY-Yankees-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Witt had a phenomenal season with the Royals last year with a major-league-leading .332 batting average and 211 hits. He enters his age-25 season with high expectations and a Kansas City team on his back. Witt is also an amazing defender at shortstop but it was not enough to edge Judge last year.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/did-yankees-aaron-judge-just-have-the-goat-right-handed-hitting-season">Judge had, by many metrics, the greatest season a right-handed hitter</a> has ever had. The Yankees captain played center field last year and hit 58 homers with a 1.159 OPS. Now, he will be moving back to right field, his original position, where his defense should take a step up.</p><p>If Judge’s numbers are anywhere in the vicinity of last year’s production, he will likely win AL MVP again. Another 35 homers would put him at 350 for his career during his tenth season. Voters love round numbers and Judge has the chance to reach historic levels in his career.</p><p>Witt will win an American League MVP at some point in his career. His floor is among the highest in the league and his speed gives him an advantage over Judge. If the slugger was to get hurt, Witt would take the lead over Judge in the MVP race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Aaron Judge’s AL MVP repeat dreams dashed by Bobby Witt Jr. in poll

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-vinnie-pasquantino-hamstring-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino suffers hamstring injury before Opening Day');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Royals-Vinnie-Pasquantino-suffers-hamstring-injury-before-Opening-Day.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino suffers hamstring injury before Opening Day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-22T16:56:31-07:00">March 22nd, 4:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-22T16:56:31-07:00">March 22nd, 4:56pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals have been dealt a scare ahead of Opening Day.</p><p>Slugger Vinnie Pasquantino <a href="https://x.com/anne__rogers/status/1903567509024051464" rel="noopener">suffered a hamstring injury</a> in spring training on Saturday and will be evaluated on Sunday to determine the severity, per Anne Rogers.</p><p>Pasquantino said he feels fine but knows it’ll be up to the medical staff to diagnose how bad the strain is:</p><p>“I feel fine,” Pasquantino said. “My gut tells me it’s not going to affect anything, but my gut is not the medical staff.</p><p>“Just trying to kind of bust it down the line,” Pasquantino continued. “It just kind of grabbed on me. I don’t believe it’ll be a big deal.”</p><p>Pasquantino tweaked his hamstring while trying to beat out a double play ground ball. He immediately came up limping and looked to be in discomfort. The 27-year-old was the Royals’ third-best hitter last season and that will surely be the case again. He had a breakout 2024 season, hitting .262 with 19 home runs. Pasquantino will be Kansas City’s starting first baseman.</p><p>Hamstring injuries can be tricky. It’s hard to know at this point just how serious the strain could be, but it’s far from ideal. The Royals open the 2025 campaign on Thursday, March 27 against the Cleveland Guardians. Pasquantino will be evaluated in Arlington on Sunday because KC is heading to the Lone Star State to take on the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.</p><p>If Pasquantino does miss any time, the ball club at least have more weapons to make up for the loss. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-news-reds-royals-swing-brady-singer-jonathan-india-trade">They traded for Jonathan India this offseason</a> in exchange for Brady Singer, while<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/royals-news-kansas-city-trade-veteran-utility-man-brewers"> the Royals also swung a trade for utility man Mark Canha</a> on Friday. He’s capable of playing first base if needed.</p><p>The Royals went 86-76 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They ultimately lost in the ALDS to the New York Yankees.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino suffers hamstring injury before Opening Day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-cubs-release-former-highly-regarded-royals-prospect');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs release former highly-regarded Royals prospect');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Cubs-news-Chicago-releases-former-highly-regarded-Royals-prospect.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs release former highly-regarded Royals prospect</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-22T00:03:42-07:00">March 22nd, 12:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-22T00:03:42-07:00">March 22nd, 12:03am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Cubs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-news-cubs-trade-kris-bryant-to-giants-in-blockbuster-deal">Chicago Cubs have officially parted ways with veteran infielder</a> Nicky Lopez, granting him his release following a request triggered by an opt-out clause in his minor league contract. Lopez, 30, initially signed with the Cubs as a non-roster invitee in early February, <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1903118716927082733" rel="noopener">aiming to secure a spot</a> as a versatile defensive piece in the club’s infield.</p><p>“Nicky Lopez requested and was granted his release by the Cubs today per the opt-out in his contract, in order to pursue other opportunities.” via Jon Heyman on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Despite performing exceptionally well during Spring Training, posting a robust <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/cubs-release-nicky-lopez-opt-out.html" rel="noopener">.450/.542/.550</a> slash line in limited action, he found himself on the outside looking in due to the Cubs’ considerable infield depth. The presence of recently acquired Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján, as well as the quick ascension of top prospect Matt Shaw, ultimately limited Lopez’s opportunities.</p><h2><b>Nicky Lopez was left off the Cubs roster prior to the Tokyo Series </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Nicky-Lopez.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-news-how-dodgers-cubs-tokyo-series-made-jaw-dropping-mlb-history">Cubs’ decision to leave Lopez off their 31-man roster heading to Japan</a> to open the season was likely the final factor prompting him to pursue options elsewhere. Lopez spent the 2024 season across town with the Chicago White Sox, where he played in 124 games but managed only a modest .241/.312/.294 batting line.</p><p>Known more for his defensive acumen than his bat, Lopez brings considerable value with his versatility, excelling at second base, shortstop, and third base. His standout year came in 2021 with the Kansas City Royals when he hit an impressive .300/.365/.378, though he hasn’t replicated that level of offensive success since.</p><p>Defensively, Lopez is regarded highly by metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, both of which highlight his strengths at multiple infield positions. His ability to handle the glove reliably at three critical defensive spots could make him an attractive target for teams needing depth and versatility.</p><p>The Cubs’ decision reflects their confidence in their current infield mix, with depth pieces like Bruján, Berti, and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman ready to contribute. Lopez will now explore other opportunities, likely searching for a team willing to offer immediate major-league playing time.</p><p>Lopez’s departure kicks off what could be a busy weekend around the league as players with similar opt-outs look for roles on major-league rosters ahead of Opening Day. Lopez, with his proven defensive skills and consistent contact abilities, shouldn’t remain unsigned for long.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs release former highly-regarded Royals prospect

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-kansas-city-trade-veteran-utility-man-brewers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals swing trade for veteran utility man from Brewers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Royals-swing-trade-for-veteran-utility-man-from-Brewers.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals swing trade for veteran utility man from Brewers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T19:37:20-07:00">March 21st, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T19:37:20-07:00">March 21st, 7:37pm</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/royals-news-patrick-mahomes-reacts-making-mlb-playoffs">The Kansas City Royals are coming off an impressive 2024 season where they finally returned to the playoffs</a>. While their roster is already very talented, the ball club added an intriguing piece on Friday in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>The Royals<a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1903242646409138505" rel="noopener"> have acquired</a> utility man Mark Canha, as reported by insider Jon Heyman. The Brew Crew received a player to be named later and cash in return.</p><p>Canha was on a minor league deal with Milwaukee in spring training but he was struggling offensively, going just 2 for 23 at the dish. However, he had a respectable 2024 campaign, splitting time with the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants. Canha is a 10-year big league veteran who can a variety of positions. He’s spent time in the outfield and even at first base.</p><p>The 36-year-old hit .242 last season with seven home runs and 42 RBI across 125 games. Canha will be a bench player for the Royals and while there’s no guarantee he’ll get a ton of playing time, he will be on the MLB roster. Kansas City does need another right-handed bat off their bench who can swing it relatively well against lefties.</p><p>Plus, the Royals are a young team. Canha brings experience and leadership to the table. That’s very important for any ball club looking to contend. This could end up being an under-the-radar move for KC.</p><p>They went 86-76 in ’24, making it to the ALDS <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/3-royals-most-blame-alds-loss-yankees">before losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series</a>. Bobby Witt Jr heads into 2025 as an MVP candidate once again, while the likes of Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and MJ Melendez, will be important players offensively. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-news-reds-royals-swing-brady-singer-jonathan-india-trade">The Royals also traded for Jonathan India</a> this offseason but lost Brady Singer in the process.</p><p>The AL Central is wide open and Kansas City should be competitive again.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royals swing trade for veteran utility man from Brewers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-royals-hall-of-fame-adds-new-member');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royals’ Hall of Fame adds new member');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Royals-news-Kansas-Citys-Hall-of-Fame-adds-new-member.jpg"></figure><h1>Royals’ Hall of Fame adds new member</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-14T23:16:44-07:00">March 14th, 11:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-14T23:16:44-07:00">March 14th, 11:16pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Alex Gordon will be enshrined as the 31st member of the Royals Hall of Fame, with the Kansas City Royals naming him the lone inductee of the 2025 class on Friday morning.</p><p>Gordon’s induction ceremony is set for June 13 at Kauffman Stadium before the Royals face the A’s. He will receive a blue jacket, joining an elite group that includes his former manager Ned Yost, as well as Royals legends like George Brett and Bo Jackson.</p><p>The 41-year-old <a href="https://www.twitter.com/Royals/status/1900562586720141376" rel="noopener">earned induction in his first year</a> on the ballot, receiving 97.8% of the vote, per the team. The near-unanimous support reflects his legacy as a homegrown star who played a pivotal role in the Royals’ 2014 American League pennant and 2015 World Series championship.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Introducing the newest member of the Royals Hall of Fame, Alex Gordon! <a href="https://t.co/AmNmj9nOJ7">pic.twitter.com/AmNmj9nOJ7</a></p><p>— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1900562586720141376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/royals-news-alex-gordon-retiring-from-baseball-after-14-year-career-face-franchise">Gordon’s journey to the Royals</a> took several turns after they drafted him second overall in 2005 out of Nebraska. He started as a third baseman and debuted two years later, but by his fourth season, he was back in Triple-A, working with the team on a position change. Struggling with a .194 batting average, he was sent down in May 2010 to learn left field while Mike Moustakas, a rising infield prospect, climbed through the Minor Leagues.</p><p>What followed showcased why Gordon is so revered within the Royals’ organization. He put in the work—relentlessly. He mastered left field and stayed committed to his routines. By the summer of 2010, he had earned his way back to the Majors. The next year, he claimed his first Gold Glove Award.</p><h2><b>Alex Gordon coming into his Hall of Fame form with the Royals</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Alex-Gordon-playing-with-the-Royals.jpg"><figcaption>Peter Aiken-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Gordon earned his first All-Star selection in 2013, setting the standard for the rising core that would help deliver a World Series title to Kansas City in 2015. His dedication became a blueprint for the Royals’ young talent—so much so that the team distributed footage of his pregame outfield drills to Minor Leaguers as a teaching tool. In 2023, the organization honored his legacy by creating the Heart and Hustle Alex Gordon Award, given to the player who embodies his relentless approach to the game.</p><p>The Royals former left fielder set the benchmark for outfield defense, patrolling left field at Kauffman Stadium for a decade while securing two Platinum Glove Awards and eight Gold Gloves. His highlight reel is packed with spectacular grabs, from diving catches on the grass to fearless leaps into the stands. But one play stands out in his memory—the moment he finally got his shot in center field. After persistently lobbying Yost and the Royals’ coaching staff, Gordon made the most of his opportunity, crashing into the wall and tumbling to the ground while securing a catch against the Rays at Tropicana Field.</p><p>Gordon delivered several strong offensive seasons, wrapping up his career with a .257/.338/.410 slash line and 34.5 WAR, per Baseball Reference. After 14 seasons, he retired in 2020, finishing right where he started—with the Royals.</p><p>He cemented his place in franchise history, ranking among the Royals’ top 10 in multiple offensive categories. He sits sixth in games played (1,753), fifth in home runs (190), seventh in RBIs (749), sixth in hits (1,643), third in walks (684), fifth in doubles (357), and sixth in total bases (2,622). No Royal was hit by more pitches than Gordon, who absorbed 121 over his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steven
Cruz

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2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
21	2.571	8	1	1	1

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
21	2.571	8	1	1	1