Royals’ 2026 Season Has Fallen Well Short of Preseason Expectations

The Kansas City Royals entered the 2026 season with high expectations. Ever since their success in 2024, which led to an ALDS appearance, the organization has adopted a playoff-or-bust mentality. Despite finishing with an 82-80 record last season, the Royals missed the postseason, making the goal even clearer entering this year.

What we saw last season, paired with the trades and signings Kansas City made during the offseason, led to some bold predictions for the Royals entering the season. For starters, Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicted that the Royals would not only make the postseason but also win the American League Central.

Along with Bowden, FanGraphs projected Kansas City to finish second in the AL Central before the season, giving the Royals a 44.8% chance of making the playoffs. Expectations were high, to say the least, for Kansas City. So, where exactly does the team stand now?

Kansas City sits at the bottom of the American League Central

May 30, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) heads back to the dugout after striking out during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It has been a rough season for the Royals, one filled with injuries and underperforming players. Kansas City currently owns a 58-74 record and sits 11 games back in the AL Central.

Injuries have hit the Royals hard this year, with the list continuing to grow. Most notably, Cole Ragans, Jonathan India, Luinder Avila and Stephen Kolek are among the players whose seasons have been cut short by injuries. Key players such as Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have also spent time on the injured list.

Paired with the injuries, the overall team production simply hasn’t been there. Offensively, the Royals have scored the ninth-fewest runs in baseball.

Despite the inconsistency within the lineup, the pitching staff has struggled at an even greater rate. More specifically, Kansas City’s bullpen has the second-worst ERA in baseball at 5.21, according to FanGraphs. The late-inning group, which many were excited to see this season, has completely fallen apart.

Carlos Estévez, who led MLB in saves last season, has dealt with a lengthy absence from the mound. The closer recorded just one out while allowing six earned runs, capped by a walk-off grand slam in his first appearance. That was followed by a left foot contusion and, later, a right rotator cuff strain suffered during a rehab appearance, which has kept him sidelined for nearly the entire season.

Matt Strahm, who was viewed as one of Kansas City’s top offseason acquisitions, was designated for assignment. It was simply a season the left-hander would like to forget, as he posted a 7.32 ERA across 35 2/3 innings before the Royals made the decision.

Then there is Lucas Erceg, who, like Strahm, has endured a forgettable season. Erceg has struggled in high-leverage situations, recording six blown saves while posting a 6.23 ERA. He was recently optioned to Triple-A Omaha in hopes of getting back on track.

To put into perspective how much this rocky bullpen has affected the Royals, Jared Koller shared an eye-opening statistic on X.

“Crazy but true. If the #Royals won just *A THIRD* of the games that they lost in the 8th inning or later this year, they’d currently own a playoff spot. If they just held on to all their 9th inning leads, they’d have a playoff spot. A bad bullpen made that big of a difference.”

Not all has been bad as of late, though, as the Royals are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. The recent surge has been fueled by a red-hot offense that has scored 50 runs during that span. This stretch has brought plenty of optimism for the future, even if this season hasn’t gone the way many expected for Kansas City.

That makes the offseason plan simple for the Royals: bolster the bullpen. Kansas City has the talent within its lineup to produce and be competitive when healthy, as we have seen during the past eight games. But when it comes to the bullpen, there isn’t much to look forward to. The group has plagued the Royals all season long.

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