Royals' Strong Start to May Quickly Turns Into Concerning Stretch

The Kansas City Royals entered May after recovering from a brutal stretch in mid-April. Following an eight-game losing streak, Kansas City won five of its final eight games in April.

Then May arrived, and the Royals continued their momentum by opening the month with a five-game winning streak. Kansas City won seven of its first nine games in May, giving fans hope after a rocky start to the season.

Since then, things have gone back downhill for Kansas City.

Kansas City gets swept by Boston

May 19, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) gets ready to tag out Boston Red Sox shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) at second base in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Kansas City fell to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, 4-3. The loss completed a three-game sweep for Boston and marked the second time the Royals have been swept in their past three series.

The Royals have now been swept four times this season, tied for the most in MLB. Kansas City has been swept by the Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers.

With a 20-30 record, Kansas City is now officially 10 games under .500 and tied for last place in the AL Central. Wednesday’s loss also marked the Royals' ninth loss in their last 10 games.

The offense has once again fallen into a stretch of inconsistent run production, even after the hot start to May. Kansas City has scored the seventh-fewest runs in MLB this month with 68.

Leading the Royals in RBIs so far in May is Salvador Perez with 10. Behind him are Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr., who have each driven in eight runs.

The most notable player in Kansas City's lineup this month has been Witt. In his first 76 at-bats in May, he has slashed .316/.373/.566 with a .939 OPS. He has also hit five home runs.

After Witt, the next-highest batting averages on the team in May belong to Starling Marte at .278 in 18 at-bats and Jac Caglianone at .259 in 58 at-bats. After that, it drops to Pasquantino, who is hitting .236 in 72 at-bats.

When it comes to the pitching staff, injuries have plagued the Royals throughout May. Both the rotation and bullpen currently have key arms on the injured list.

The rotation is missing its ace, Cole Ragans, who is on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow impingement. Left-hander Kris Bubic also joined Ragans on the injured list with left elbow soreness.

In the bullpen, Matt Strahm was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation. He joins Carlos Estévez, who has been on the injured list since April 1 with a left foot contusion.

A combination of a struggling offense, an injured pitching staff and poor baserunning has contributed to this rough stretch for Kansas City.

The Royals are off Thursday before returning to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, a team they swept earlier this month.

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