After a 1-2 homestand on Opening Weekend, the Royals bounced back with an 11-1 win in Milwaukee on the Brewers’ Opening Day at American Family Field.
Kris Bubic was masterful in this one as he produced the Royals’ first quality start in 2025.
In six innings pitched, he allowed zero runs, three hits, and two walks while striking out eight. He also produced a 31.9% whiff rate, 35% CSW, and allowed an average exit velocity of 77.8 MPH on batted balls in his 2025 debut.
In addition to Bubic’s stellar outing, the Royals’ bats came out in full force against the reeling Brewers’ pitching staff. Maikel Garcia hit his second home run of the year, and Salvy hit his first, an upper-decker at the top of the 7th, which sparked a six-run inning.
It’s a nice start to the Royals’ first road trip of the season. Hopefully, they can continue this positive momentum with a series victory or a possible sweep.
With a solid Royals victory in the books, I figured I would start the week and end the month of March with one last “Jottings” post. In this edition, I share a new Royals podcast that I am a part of, look at the callup of Tyler Tolbert, and Jonathan India‘s hot start at the plate to begin the 2025 season (despite getting hit in the helmet on Sunday afternoon).
Crown Talk Podcast Debut Episode!
I have known Jared Perkins since his Royals Farm Report days, and we have developed a strong friendship centered around our passion for baseball and the Royals.
Jared is known for his MLB Draft and prospect coverage and also runs the “On the Clock” college baseball and MLB Draft podcast (through the Just Baseball network). However, we have joined forces to start a weekly Royals-centric podcast discussing the Kansas City Royals from a fan’s perspective while touching on analytics and prospect analysis related to the Royals organization.
Our first episode dropped this morning. The Tweet embed below provides links to Spotify and YouTube.
Those who don’t want to click on the “you know who’s” site can watch and listen to our debut episode on YouTube through the embed below.
We plan to record every Sunday/Monday and release each episode every Monday/Tuesday throughout the season. We will also likely do special episodes around the MLB Draft time and the Trade Deadline so that we can give perspective on those big draft picks or trades. At the very least, expect an episode a week from us, especially as we will be joined by different guests each week (we’ve got a great one in store next week).
Check us out and subscribe on Spotify and YouTube! We appreciate you listening in to Crown Talk!
Royals Call Up Tyler Tolbert From Omaha
On Sunday, the Royals pulled Dairon Blanco late in the game. As it turns out, he aggravated his Achilles from Spring Training and was put on the 10-day IL this morning.
In his place, Kansas City selected the contract of Tyler Tolbert, who takes the last open spot on the Royals’ 40-man roster.
Last season, Tolbert slashed .240/.323/.323 with a .307 wOBA and 86 wRC+ over 552 plate appearances between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. He performed better with the Naturals (100 wRC+ in 462 PA) than the Storm Chasers (17 wRC+ in 90 PA). However, the athletic utility player started to show some promise in Major League camp in Surprise during Spring Training.
An honorable mention in my Top 30 “Royals Prospects to Watch” rankings, Tolbert had a strong performance overall in Arizona. That explains why the Royals chose him over Drew Waters, Joey Wiemer, Tyler Gentry, or Nick Loftin, outfielders/utility players already on the 40-man roster.
In 19 Cactus League games, the 27-year-old Tolbert hit .308 with an .887 OPS. He also had two home runs, 10 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Strikeouts were an issue for Tolbert in Arizona, as he struck out 11 times and only walked three times. That said, Tolbert demonstrated a speed profile similar to Blanco’s, with additional defensive versatility, as Tolbert can play the infield and the outfield.
At the very least, Tolbert can be a late-inning pinch runner who can swipe a bag or two, much like Blanco. The 31-year-old Cuban outfielder had two stolen bases and scored two runs this season before reaggravating his Achilles.
While I think Tolbert has a bit more swing-and-miss to his game, I’m glad the Royals were willing to give Tolbert a shot in the Majors, especially since he gives them the speed and defense they need off the bench with Blanco on the IL.
Jonathan India Off to Strong Start With Royals
A glaring issue for the Royals the past two seasons was their lack of a leadoff hitter. While I still believe in Garcia’s long-term potential, he’s better served at the bottom of the lineup rather than at the top. Thus, JJ Picollo made a wise move in trading Brady Singer to Cincinnati for India and Wiemer (currently in Omaha).
So far, India’s results in Kansas City have been nothing but positive.
In four games and 16 at-bats, the 28-year-old has posted a slash of .375/.474/.375 with an .849 OPS. He also has two walks and hasn’t struck out in his first four games with the Royals. Even though all of his hits have been singles, he’s proving to be the Royals’ most efficient leadoff hitter since Whit Merrifield.
Like Merrifield, India has demonstrated versatility in the field. This year, he has played third base and left field, two positions he had never played in Cincinnati (he was primarily a second baseman). India has been experiencing some growing pains in the new defensive assignments. However, he is athletic enough to handle the adjustment and will improve with more reps at those positions.
Royals fans had a scare with India on Sunday afternoon. Emmanuel Clase‘s 99 MPH four-seamer drilled India in the head in the bottom of the ninth. India left the game immediately and was pretty angry with Clase’s pitch, judging by his reaction as he left the field.
Thankfully, India returned to the lineup on Monday and had a stellar day at the plate in the Royals’ 10-run victory over Milwaukee. He had three hits, scored two runs, and collected two RBIs.
India brings that athletic, hard-nosed presence at the top of the Royals’ lineup that Whit provided from 2017 to 2022. Unlike Whit, the former Red has a bit more athletic upside, and at 28 years old, he also has a long career ahead of him, should he stay in Kansas City (he’ll be a free agent in 2027).
Of course, Singer also got off to a good start to 2025 in his Cincinnati debut on Monday, as he threw seven innings of shutout ball.
Sometimes teams have to give up something to get something in return.
The Royals and Reds did just that with the India-Singer trade. Considering the early India returns and the Royals’ leadoff need in 2025, Royals fans shouldn’t complain.
Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images