Kansas City Royals Begin Final Series of Homestand against Diamondbacks: Stats and Trends to Keep an Eye on
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The Royals have come back down to Earth after a torrid stretch in August as they are 5-5 in their last ten and have lost their last two series. It hasn't been an ideal homestand for the Royals, but they can finish strong with their final series of the homestand coming against the Diamondbacks. Here are the probable starters as well as stats and trends to keep an eye on.
Probable Starters
Game One: Noah Cameron (9-8, 4.08 ERA) vs. Derek Law (0-0, 1.93 ERA)
Game Two: Michael Wacha (9-8, 3.36 ERA) vs. Corbin Burnes (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game Three: Daniel Lynch IV (4-5, 3.51 ERA) vs. Merrill Kelly (9-13, 5.06 ERA)
Salvador Perez Off to a Strong September Start
The season might be over, postseason-wise, for the Royals, but it is good to see "Salvy" start the final part of the year strong. In September, Salvy is slashing .304/.360/.609 for an OPS of .969 and a wRC+ of 167. He has had at least one hit in all but one game in September and has two home runs, six RBIs, and a double to kick off the month.
Against the Blue Jays, Salvy went 5-for-12 with a home run in the series finale. With the D-Backs coming to town, Salvy has had some success against them with a career OPS of .751, but he hasn't seen much of their current pitching staff outside of Eduardo Rodriguez who won't be starting in this series and Corbin Burnes (more on him later).
For Royals fans, it is always nice to see Salvy swing a hot bat and he looks to continue that against the Diamondbacks.
The Return of Corbin Burnes
It has been a long time since Corbin Burnes has made a start due to his Tommy John Surgery. To be specific, he hasn't been able to make an MLB start since June 1, 2025, but he is now projected to make his return to the mound in the second game of the series. His return also comes at the right time for the Diamondbacks, as they haven't had the best rotation this season (21st in terms of fWAR), and they are in the playoff hunt.
With the D-Backs holding the final wildcard spot and leading by 0.5 games, Burnes looks to be the spark plug for the final push. He also gets to face a Royals team that he typically dominates, with a career ERA of 2.15. Against current Royals players, the only player he struggles against is Salvy, who has an OPS of 1.250 against Burnes.
Michael Massey Continues Contributing in 2026
He might have missed a week of action due to being placed on the 7-day concussion IL, but Michael Massey has returned and continues to produce at a good level for the Royals. Since returning to action on September 2, Massey has gone 5-for-15 with a double. He has a hit in each of the four games since his return and looks to continue producing both offensively and defensively for the Royals to end the year.
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Trey is no stranger to writing about the Royals as he has done it for 6 years now for various blogs (Kings of Kauffman, Inside The Royals, and Farm to Fountains). He is a graduate of Baker University with a degree in Mass Media with an emphasis in sports media. He enjoys watching and researching sports as well as gaming.
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