Royals Struggling Outfielder Listed As Team's Least Valuable Player In 2025
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The Kansas City Royals have picked themselves up off the mat after a dreadful 8-14 start. They are now 15-15 and have won seven of their last eight games.
This season, the offense has remained a major issue for Kansas City, and in order to remain in the race, they'll need better production.
While Bobby Witt Jr. is off to a hot start, others are dragging the offense down. One player in particular that is struggling is outfielder Hutner Renfroe.
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently ranked the Royals offense the second-worst in Major League Baseball and listed Renfroe as the team's least valuable player at the present moment.
"Pretty much a carbon copy of last year's horrific start when he entered May with a .481 OPS. At least Renfroe did hit a pair of home runs last April, though. He has just two doubles and zero dingers amid his .467 OPS start to 2025."
In addition to his miserable OPS, Renfroe is slashing .177/.257/.210 with only four RBI and a 36 OPS+. The 33-year-old's numbers are a far cry from where they were in 2021 when he was with the Boston Red Sox.
Even though his power numbers have dipped since then, he was at least productive the next two years. But 2024 and 2025 have not been good for the slugger.
It will be interesting to see if he can pull it together. If not, the Royals may have no choice but to ultimately cut bait and put their faith in somebody else. They could also add a bat or two between now and the trade deadline.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.
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