Oct 01, 2024

⚾ Royals announce roster for Wild Card Series

Posted Oct 01, 2024 2:35 PM
Royals players celebrate after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-2, giving Kansas City their first playoff berth since 2015. (Photo Courtesy @Royals on X)
Royals players celebrate after the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-2, giving Kansas City their first playoff berth since 2015. (Photo Courtesy @Royals on X)

Kansas City Royals

BALTIMORE, Md.—The Kansas City Royals today announced their roster for the Wild Card Series.

The Royals will carry 11 pitchers into today’s series opener in Baltimore, led by starting pitchers Cole Ragans (Game 1), Seth Lugo (Game 2) and Michael Wacha (Game 3, if necessary). The bullpen will consist of left-handed pitchers Kris BubicSam LongDaniel Lynch IV and Angel Zerpa, and right handers Lucas ErcegMichael LorenzenJohn Schreiber and Brady Singer

Kansas City will have 15 position players on the active roster, led by Captain Salvador Perez, All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who is returning from the IL following a right thumb fracture that he suffered on Aug. 29. Dairon BlancoKyle IsbelMJ MelendezTommy Pham and Hunter Renfroe will man the outfield, and they will carry infielders Paul DeJongMaikel GarciaYuli GurrielAdam FrazierGarrett Hampson and Michael Massey, as well as catcher Freddy Fermin

Gurriel, 40, will bring the most postseason experience, having played in 86 postseason games with Houston from 2017-23, while Perez returns to the postseason for the first time since the Royals last World Series title in 2015 and enters the series 12 games shy of George Brett’s franchise record for postseason games (43). Others to have previous postseason experience include Pham (31 games), Renfroe (23), DeJong (14), Wacha (8), Frazier (7), Lorenzen (4), Lugo (3) and Hampson (3). The Wild Card Series will mark the first postseason experience for Bubic, Long, Lynch IV, Zerpa, Erceg, Schreiber, Singer, Witt Jr., Pasquantino, Blanco, Isbel, Melendez, Garcia, Massey and Fermin.