The Kansas City Royals entered 2026 with playoff expectations after adding key pieces during the offseason. Instead, they’ve stumbled to a 23-37 record through 60 games, sitting just a half-game ahead of last place in the AL Central.
It’s gotten ugly fast in Kansas City.
The Royals trail the division-leading Cleveland Guardians by 10.5 games already, and that gap keeps growing. Last week’s back-to-back sweeps against the Yankees and Rangers highlighted just how far this team has fallen from preseason projections.
The problems run deep on both sides of the ball. The pitching staff’s posted a 4.54 ERA while the bullpen has blown 11 saves in 25 opportunities. Meanwhile, the offense has been virtually invisible outside of Bobby Witt Jr., who’s having another strong season.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter dropped Kansas City from No. 24 to No. 28 in this week’s power rankings, noting the team’s fundamental issues:
“With a 4.54 ERA as a team and 11 blown saves in 25 chances, the Royals simply do not have the pitching to prop up an offense that has been virtually non-existent aside from Bobby Witt Jr., who is off to another terrific start.”
The bullpen situation became even more precarious after Carlos Esteves’ injury. Without a reliable closer, the Royals can’t hold leads in high-leverage situations. That’s created a psychological problem where players know their work might be wasted in the ninth inning.
Close games have become the Royals’ kryptonite this season.
Monday’s win against Cincinnati was a step in the right direction, but it’s going to take a lot more than one victory to dig out of this hole. The Royals need to figure out their late-inning roles quickly, or they’ll be playing meaningless games by the All-Star break.
What makes this collapse particularly frustrating is that Kansas City seemed to have the pieces in place after their disappointing 2025 campaign. Instead, they’ve regressed at the worst possible time in a competitive AL Central.
The season’s still young, but the Royals are running out of time to salvage their playoff hopes. Without significant improvements to both the rotation and bullpen, this could turn into another lost year in Kansas City.
