Kansas City will wrap up the first half of its season when it faces Toronto on Sunday afternoon. The Royals, who are without multiple key players due to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions, split the first two games of the series with the Blue Jays. This story was published prior to Saturday afternoon’s game.
Kansas City has been one of the most talked about teams in the MLB over the last few days, despite being one of the worst teams in the majors. The discussion has been due to the host of unvaccinated players on the roster, forcing the Royals to put together a makeshift lineup due to Toronto’s COVID-19 restrictions. Kansas City overcame that hurdle in a 3-1 upset on Thursday, but it came up short in an 8-1 final on Friday. The Royals were in last place in the American League Central heading into Saturday’s slate, trailing Minnesota by 12 games. They are 11.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Welcome to the Show, Maikel!#TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/1wWbisXRN8
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 16, 2022
The Royals have been a solid offensive team this season, ranked No. 14 in batting average (.244). They are without four of their top five batters this weekend due to the COVID-19 rules, though. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who has 85 hits and 13 home runs, is the only mainstay available. He is facing a Toronto pitching staff that is No. 19 with an ERA of 3.99. Left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic is expected to start for Kansas City on Sunday. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks across 5.2 innings against Detroit on Tuesday. Bubic has struggled this year, going 1-6 with a 6.63 ERA.