Royals Fans Left Scratching Their Heads Over Latest Lineup Choices

The Kansas City Royals enter a three-game series Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. After going 1-9 over their last 10 games, fans are hoping for offensive changes to help spark production.

Prior to Friday’s game, the lineup card was released. While changes were made, they were not what many expected. With certain players absent and the usual batting order shuffled, reactions have not been sugarcoated.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro has never shied away from analytics when constructing the lineup. Especially against left-handed pitchers, he tries to avoid left-on-left matchups as much as possible.

Royals fans are not pleased with the most recent lineup

Sep 11, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) walks on the field in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Noah Cameron takes the mound for Kansas City in Game 1 against the Angels. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will start for Los Angeles.

Fresh series on the way. pic.twitter.com/sRy5wNjBot
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 24, 2026

The first thing that stands out is that All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game early with right elbow soreness. Anne Rogers of MLB.com provided an update on how Garcia is feeling.

"Maikel Garcia (elbow) is out of the lineup but says he feels better today after treatment. Hopes to be available off the bench and then get back in there tomorrow. Said he felt a cramp Wednesday that affected his throwing the most," per Rogers.

Another thing that caught fans’ attention is that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is absent from the lineup. Salvador Perez moves to first base and slides into the three-hole. It is an odd decision, considering Kansas City had an off day and Pasquantino appears to be swinging the bat well, going 2-for-3 with a home run Wednesday. As of now, nothing has been reported regarding that decision.

Elias Diaz gets the start at catcher, while Carter Jensen slides into the designated hitter spot. Jensen is also not in his usual five-hole, as he is slotted in the six-hole. All three catchers on the roster are in the lineup Friday night.

Other notable changes include Lane Thomas batting cleanup while Jac Caglianone is not featured in the card as Starling Marte is out in right field.

The reactions to the lineup all seem to center around the same question. Why? Many are calling the decisions a “fireable offense.” While changes were needed and the lack of production backs up that claim, this was not what many expected.

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