Wacha (1-4) took the loss against Texas on Saturday, allowing seven runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.2 innings.
Wacha exited with two outs in the fourth inning after giving up singles to four of the final five batters he faced. The seven runs were a season high for the right-hander, while his three punchouts tied a season low. Wacha was doing fine with a 3.81 ERA through his first five starts this season, but that number has since ballooned to 5.50 as a result of the veteran hurler giving up 11 earned runs over 9.1 innings across his past two appearances.
Royals' Daniel Lynch: Starting on Sunday versus Rangers
Rotowire
Lynch will be recalled from Triple-A Omaha to start Sunday against the Rangers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
He's filling in for the injured Alec Marsh (elbow). Lynch has not pitched well this season at Omaha, collecting a 5.86 ERA and 22:9 K:BB over 27.2 innings. He will be pitching on three days' rest Sunday, having thrown 48 pitches over four frames Wednesday in his last start for Omaha.
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Royals' Alec Marsh: Making rehab start Sunday
Rotowire
Marsh (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.
Manager Matt Quatraro hinted Friday toward sending Marsh out on a rehab assignment, and the 25-year-old righty will now officially build back up with Omaha. Starting Sunday would put Marsh in line to return to Kansas City's rotation Friday against the Angels, though it's unclear if the Royals will want to keep him in the minors for multiple starts.
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Royals' Dairon Blanco: Picks up steal
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Blanco went 0-for-1 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Rangers.
Blanco pinch ran for MJ Melendez in the seventh inning, swiping a bag and scoring on a Kyle Isbel single. The steal was Blanco's first since April 9, though he went 5-for-20 with two doubles and a walk over 11 contests between thefts. He has seen a little more playing time recently, though his starts often come when another outfielder needs a day off -- there's no obvious platoon situation emerging that would get Blanco in the lineup regularly. The speedster has six steals, no home runs, no RBI, eight runs scored and two doubles over 26 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Notches 10th steal
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-4 with one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Rangers.
Witt's RBI single put the Royals up 3-1 in the seventh inning. He then stole second and scored on a Salvador Perez three-run home run. Witt is one of seven players to reach double-digit steals so far this season, though he's also been caught four times, most among those players. The shortstop is batting .357 during his seven-game hitting streak, and he's at a .318/.364/.538 slash line through 33 contests overall.
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Royals' John Schreiber: Collects third win
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Schreiber (3-0) earned the win Friday versus the Rangers, allowing two hits and two walks with one strikeout in a scoreless inning.
Schreiber erased a walk with a double play, then loaded the bases again before striking out Marcus Semien to end the top of the seventh inning. The Royals rallied for six runs in their half of the frame, and Schreiber ended up with the win. He's pitched 5.1 consecutive scoreless innings, and he's been scored on just once this season, pitching to 0.59 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB over 15.1 innings. He's getting some good luck, as indicated by a .227 BABIP and 3.06 FIP, but the right-hander looks poised to play an important high-leverage role for the Royals throughout the year.
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Royals' Hunter Renfroe: Homers in Friday's win
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Renfroe went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 7-1 win over the Rangers.
Renfroe has struggled to get his bat going -- he's 3-for-27 (.111) over his last 10 games. The outfielder has started to lose playing time to Adam Frazier, who was squeezed out of a full-time role at second base when Michael Massey returned from a back injury. Renfroe is slashing a poor .155/.228/.298 with three homers, 11 RBI, eight runs scored and three doubles over 92 plate appearances, so he'll need to put together better performances to continue playing regularly.
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Royals' Salvador Perez: Slugs eighth homer
Rotowire
Perez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Friday's 7-1 victory over the Rangers.
Perez's three-run shot off Jose Urena capped off a six-run seventh inning for the Royals and extended the backstop's hitting streak to four games. He has yet to show any signs of slowing down at the plate, slashing .351/.413/.605 with eight homers and 30 RBI across his first 126 plate appearances.
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Royals' Brady Singer: Punches out eight
Rotowire
Singer took a no-decision Friday against the Rangers after allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out eight batters through six innings. He did not issue a walk.
Although Singer turned in yet another strong outing Friday, his contributions went unrewarded as the Royals were unable to take the lead until after the 27-year-old was removed from the game, giving the win to John Schreiber instead. Singer didn't get the win, but his 2.45 ERA and 42 strikeouts through 40.1 innings on the season still give fantasy managers plenty of reason to be pleased with his performance to begin the year.
Manager Matt Quatraro said Friday that sending Marsh (elbow) on a rehab assignment before returning from the IL "would be a smart thing to do," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Marsh has been on the injured list since April 25 due to a bruised right elbow. He threw a bullpen session Monday and did so again Friday, though he will likely need to face live hitters before beginning a rehab stint.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Sitting again
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.
Velazquez has been less and less of an everyday option for the Royals as the team continues to trot out lineups with Salvador Perez as first base, Vinnie Pasquantino at DH and Freddy Fermin behind the dish. Velazquez hasn't done much to warrant an everyday role after starting the season red hot, managing just one hit in his last 27 at-bats.
Royals' Michael Massey: Drives in four in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Massey went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.
After bringing home a run in the sixth inning with a groundout, Massey lofted a Nate Pearson curveball off the right-field foul pole in the eighth for a three-run shot. The second baseman has homered in back-to-back games, his first long balls since making his season debut April 19, and he's hit safely in five straight contests.
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Royals' Seth Lugo: Fans eight in fifth win
Rotowire
Lugo (5-1) picked up the win Wednesday in a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out eight.
The 34-year-old right-hander generated an impressive 35 called or swinging strikes over 101 pitches as he baffled Toronto hitters. The quality start was Lugo's sixth in seven trips to the mound, and the two-year, $30 million contract he signed in December is looking like an absolute bargain for the Royals. Lugo will take a 1.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB through 45 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Brewers.
Renfroe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Renfroe looked to be on the outs for an everyday role when he was held out of the lineup for consecutive games last Thursday and Friday, but he started in each of the past four games. However, Renfroe went just 1-for-12 with two walks in those contests, and he now finds himself back on the bench while his season-long slash line now sits at .150/.218/.263. Adam Frazier will get the nod in right field Wednesday, and manager Matt Quartaro could be inclined to lean on a timeshare between Frazier and Renfroe at that spot in the lineup until one player starts to heat up at the plate.
