Massey eyes return to form following latest IL stint; Rave optioned

CHICAGO -- In the two and a half months since Michael Massey first hit the injured list on June 10, he’s dealt with a left ankle sprain, a right wrist fracture and back tightness. He’s been on three separate rehab assignments. He tinkered with his swing, his approach and tried so many different things to find the feel and results he showed in 2024 rather than what he was at the beginning of ‘25.

Now, Massey is back in the big leagues.

Massey was reinstated from the 10-day IL on Monday ahead of the Royals’ 7-0 loss in the series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field. He went 0-for-2 at the plate and made a nice sliding catch in left field.

In a corresponding move, outfielder John Rave was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, swapping out lefty bats with Rave’s playing time dwindling anyway over the past few weeks.

In Massey’s most recent rehab stint, which began on Aug. 9, he hit .245 (13-for-53) in 12 games with three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs with a .725 OPS.

“It’s nice to see him,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s been a tough go for him here these last couple of months, with three different things, and for him to be healthy and freshened up a little bit and able to get some work on his swing, it’s nice. He’s a big part of what we do here, and he was a big part of why we got to where we did last year.”

Even before the injury-riddled middle of the season, it wasn’t an easy go for Massey at the beginning of the year. The 27-year-old hit just .202 with a .479 OPS, two homers and 14 RBIs in 56 games before his IL stint.

Massey’s recovery process and rehab assignment also allowed him to work on his swing, searching for the consistency that made him an important part of the 2024 Royals, when he posted a .743 OPS with 14 home runs.

“Just using the time to tinker a little bit,” Massey said. “Obviously, what I was doing before, there were quite a bit of holes in it. I’m not blind to that. The great part about playing every day is it’s going to let you know if you got something wrong, and it let me know I had something wrong. A lot of players go through it, so you got to go back and look at video. It usually gets darker before it gets lighter. Just trying new things and trying to get comfortable with stuff.

“ ... I feel like we’re in a good spot. And took some stuff from the old me, hopefully added some stuff to the new me, and we’ll see how it goes.”

The Royals were patient with Massey early this season, but results matter more than anything at this time of year as Kansas City fights to stay in playoff contention with September on the horizon. Massey will see playing time in left field, second base and designated hitter, but matchups and performance will dictate how much playing time.

Adam Frazier, who plays all over but mainly second base and left field, will be in that rotation, along with second baseman Jonathan India.

At this point, Massey has to solely focus on what he can do to help the Royals win, rather than trying to improve the numbers he posted in the early part of the year.

That part is what comes easy to him.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that you don’t see [the numbers],” Massey said. “You do. But there are other reasons why I do what I do. At this point, there’s a bigger reason with us trying to make the playoffs and get one of those [American League] Wild Card spots. That’s going to trump everything. That’s a good motivator.”