The Royals lost the series against the Twins this weekend, as the offense failed to muster much against the Twins’ starting pitching staff. That said, Kansas City did just enough on Sunday to win 2-1, thus salvaging at least one game in the series and avoiding the sweep in Minneapolis.
The Royals have made plenty of moves recently to get them back on the right track.
They have designated Chris Stratton and Hunter Renfroe for assignment last week, with Renfroe’s move coming right before the Twins series this past weekend.
Renfroe struggled for a second straight season with the Royals, which was disappointing since he had stayed healthy this year (unlike a year ago).
In 108 plate appearances, the 33-year-old outfielder hit .182 with a .483 OPS and a -0.9 fWAR. He also hadn’t hit a home run this year, and this was coming off a 15-HR season, his first sub-20 HR in a non-COVID season since his rookie season in 2016. Unfortunately, it seemed like another sub-par home-run season was due for Renfroe in 2025 based on his lackluster hard-hit metrics.
Thus, with the Royals ranking 26th in OPS and 28th in runs scored, it made sense that JJ Picollo and the Royals decided to part ways with Renfroe to give the team a jolt.
The moves have continued on Memorial Day, which is not a day off for the Royals front office.
Royals Call Up Rave; Option Cavan Biggio to Omaha
Rumors surfaced on Sunday that Cavan Biggio would agree to an assignment to Omaha (he had over five years of service time and had to agree to a Minor League assignment).
Signed on a Minor League deal this offseason, Biggio made the Royals’ 26-man roster after a strong Spring Training campaign in Arizona. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old utility player has failed to get going at the plate in his first season in Kansas City.
In 83 plate appearances, Biggio is hitting .174 with a .259 wOBA, 59 wRC+, and -0.2 fWAR. His BB/K ratio is strong at 0.52, and his 36% hard-hit rate is his highest mark since his rookie year. Still, his Statcast profile has been underwhelming, and he hasn’t produced enough results to justify regular playing time, let alone an active roster spot.
This morning, the Royals made the move official by optioning Biggio to the Storm Chasers and calling up outfielder John Rave from Omaha.
A fifth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Illinois State, Rave has succeeded as the Storm Chasers’ primary leadoff hitter this season and was named Omaha’s Player of the Year a season ago.
Rave doesn’t have outstanding tools, but he’s a grinder who has improved professionally each season. His wOBA has improved from .360 in 2024 to .390 this year, and he has already stolen 17 bases (his total from last year) in 87 fewer games. He also profiles as a solid defensive outfielder, which is much-needed with Kauffman’s spacious dimensions.
Regarding his Statcast profile, Rave has improved his hard-hit metrics over the past few seasons. With the Storm Chasers this year, he has a 9.2% barrel rate and 46.6% hard-hit rate, and his 90th EV and Max EV numbers rank in the upper percentiles of Triple-A.
That said, his profile is far from flawless, and his .329 xwOBA hints that he has had some batted-ball luck in Omaha this season.
His 28.2% hard-hit rate ranks in the lower percentiles, and his average exit velocity is mediocre at 86.8 MPH. His whiff rate isn’t alarming, but it’s elite for a 27-year-old player in his third stint in Omaha. Nonetheless, he has a patient plate approach, as demonstrated by a 10.8% walk rate and 23.3% O-Swing%.
The Royals seem to value that approach, as demonstrated by their promotion of Nick Loftin, who has a similar plate discipline profile.
With Biggio accepting the option, the Royals didn’t need to clear anyone off the roster. With the Rave addition, the Royals’ roster is currently at 38, which allows for two more possible additions.
Could Jac Caglianone Be Coming Soon?
The Royals made news a week ago when they promoted Cags to Omaha after a solid campaign in Northwest Arkansas. In 38 games and 175 plate appearances, Cags hit nine home runs, posted a .422 wOBA, and generated solid metrics in the limited data available.
Cags has been demolishing the baseball in six games with the Storm Chasers.
In 28 plate appearances, he is hitting .346 with a 206 wRC+ and five home runs. He has homered in four-straight games, which included a multi-HR day on Sunday in Salt Lake City.
As if that wasn’t enough, Cags’ Statcast metrics in Omaha have been absolutely off the charts, negating any feeling that Cags was simply benefiting from Salt Lake City’s hitter-friendly altitude and park factors.
Cags only has a walk rate of 3.6% and is chasing a bit at 40%. Other than that, he has been ELITE, and that’s putting it mildly.
Baseball America has also been a big fan of Cags’ Statcast data in his short sample so far in Triple-A.
It seems wild that the Royals would promote Cags after barely a week of games. That said, the Texas Rangers called up 22-year-old outfielder Alejandro Osuna after only eight games this season in Triple-A. Like the Royals, Texas has been starved for hitting this year, as MLB Insider Jeff Passan highlighted.
If the Rangers are willing to be so aggressive with Osuna, I think the Royals could be equally bullish with Cags.
At first, I thought Cags would be up in late July at the soonest.
Now? I think it’s likely, especially if he continues to show out against Triple-A pitching, that he’s up in June, perhaps in the next week or so, especially if Michael Massey continues to struggle at the plate.
After the demotions of MJ Melendez and Biggio, Picollo has demonstrated that he’s not hesitant to option established guys if they are not producing at the Major League level.
Royals Three-Star Awards From Twins Series
I didn’t want to dedicate a full post to this topic, but I wanted to share my Three-Star Award winners from this weekend’s series in Minneapolis.
Bubic had another stellar start, striking out nine and only allowing one run in seven innings. He not only sported excellent TJ Stuff+ metrics but also strong whiff and xwOBACON numbers.
His ERA is 1.45 this season in 68.1 IP. Even though he started the year as the No. 5 starter, he has entered the AL Cy Young race after a solid first two months.
Even though he didn’t get the first star-like Bubic, Cameron had another excellent performance against Twins ace Pablo Lopez on Friday, which earned him the Third Star.
In 6.2 IP, he allowed only four hits, one run, one walk, and struck out eight. He kept Twins hitters at bay all evening on Friday, as demonstrated by excellent chase and whiff rates.
Even though he was seen as a safety net with Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans on the IL, I think Cameron has earned a spot on the Royals’ pitching staff for the remainder of the season.
Lastly, I wanted to highlight Pasquantino, who collected seven hits and two runs in 13 plate appearances against the Twins. After a slow start, it seems like Vinnie is getting in his groove, and he could be due for a big summer as long as he stays healthy.
Do not be surprised if that wOBA and xwOBA gap shrinks slightly in the coming weeks, which only means good news for the Royals’ offense.
Photo Credit: Jack Gorman/Getty Images
[…] As I wrote in Monday’s post, Vinnie Pasquantino looks more locked in at the plate, which is an encouraging sign for this Royals lineup. […]