April 10, 2025
Kansas City Royals outfielders
Kyle Isbel and
Hunter Renfroe and second baseman
Michael Massey are all sitting in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Minnesota Twins.
Drew Waters is starting in center field and batting ninth,
Cavan Biggio is in right field and hitting fifth, and
Maikel Garcia is at the keystone and is batting sixth against Twins right-hander
Bailey Ober. Isbel has gone 8-for-30 with a homer, double and three RBI in his first 11 games, while both Renfroe and Massey have struggled to get going early on in the 2025 season for the Royals. Garcia is probably the best DFS bet as a sleeper on Thursday, as he's hitting .308 (12-for-39) with two homers, three doubles, six RBI and a steal in 12 games so far this year. He's hit just .143 in seven career at-bats against Ober, but it's come with a home run and two RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 4, 2025
Kansas City Royals outfielder
Hunter Renfroe is out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium.
MJ Melendez is starting in right field and batting eighth, while
Cavan Biggio is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth versus Orioles right-hander
Dean Kremer. Melendez and Biggio have a combined 10 career at-bats against Kremer without a single hit. The 33-year-old Renfroe could find himself on the bench more frequently in 2025 if his bat is cold, regardless of whether he still has some power in his lumber. He's off to a rough 2-for-18 start with a double, three RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 21 plate appearances over five contests. Outside of some modest power at this stage of his career with infrequent playing time, Renfroe is really only valuable in AL-only formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 29, 2025
Kansas City Royals outfielder/first baseman
Hunter Renfroe is not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon. Instead,
MJ Melendez will shift to right field, which will open first base for
Cavan Biggio. On Opening Day, Renfroe went 0-for-4 at the plate with one strikeout. Last season, Renfroe appeared in 120 games for the Royals. Across this stint, Renfroe held a .229/.297/.392 slash line with 18 doubles and 15 round-trippers. He was an elite defender in right field as he placed in the 87th percentile in arm value and 91st percentile in arm strength. However, in the batter's box, he generated an underwhelming .291 xwOBA and .223 xBA, which placed him in the 18th and 13th percentile, respectively. Given his lack of consistent production, he should only be rostered in deeper AL-only formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
November 1, 2024
Kansas City Royals outfielder
Hunter Renfroe and relief pitcher
Chris Stratton both had their 2025 club options exercised according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Renfroe had a down year in 2024 as he hit just 15 home runs, his lowest total in a full season throughout his career. He held a .229/.297/.392 slash line. Stratton served as a high-leverage reliever this past summer and posted a 5.55 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP with four saves and five holds. Fantasy managers should expect Renfroe to be deployed as a platoon option early on in right field with the opportunity to grow into a full-time role if he can get back on track. He could be worth a look as a late-option for power in deeper formats. Stratton should be in the mix to see a handful of save opportunities in 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mark Feinsand
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