With goals still in reach, Royals searching for better second half

The All-Star break is baseball’s breather, except of course if you’re part of the All-Star activities, like four Royals were this year in Atlanta. Still, four days off seems like a lot when you play every day, and baseball will be back soon enough.

The Royals will open the second half this weekend in Miami before going to the North Side of Chicago to face the Cubs for three games starting Monday.

It’s been an up and down season for Kansas City, certainly not like the surprising and fun 2024 run. There are expectations this year, and at 47-50, the team is still trying to live up to them.

There have been more injuries sustained this year, most notably to lefty Cole Ragans, who will be sidelined until at least mid-August with a rotator cuff strain. The offense has been maddening for everyone involved, with the one area the Royals were so good at last year -- runners in scoring position -- their Achilles heel this year.

But this is still a good team. They have the best all-around player in the game. They have a very good rotation, which could hopefully be buoyed by a healthy Ragans down the stretch. They’re seeing a consistent Vinnie Pasquantino now that he’s put a tough April behind him, and they’re watching a breakout year for All-Star Maikel Garcia.

Let’s assess these Royals at the midterm mark:

Second-half goal: Battle back
The simple goal, the only goal, for the Royals is to get back into the postseason race. They’re 4 1/2 games out of an AL Wild Card spot as the second half begins, certainly within striking distance of snagging a spot. There are also six other teams within five games of a playoff spot, too. The Royals need to show consistency with all aspects of their game to get back in it.

Trade Deadline strategy: Thread the needle
The Trade Deadline is going to be weird this year with so many teams still technically in the mix for the postseason. Who’s buying? Who’s selling? We won’t really know the answer until we get closer to July 31.

The Royals are in that undecided boat, but don’t expect them to tear it all down and be full sellers. Ownership and the front office still believe in the 2025 squad, and they fully intend to contend in ‘26. That means building around the core pieces they currently have, with hopes of finding pieces that can complement and help them this year and beyond.

What we do know is exactly what the Royals will be looking for: An outfield bat. They need offense, period, but their infield is filled with players they’re not moving on from right now. So the Royals will be searching for ways to upgrade their Major League-worst offensive outfield; whether they find someone who fits -- and a willing trade partner -- remains to be seen.

Key player: Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt will always carry this team. And the Royals will need him to be the player he’s shown to be, especially in the second half; Witt has a career .300/.351/.533 slash line post All-Star break, compared to a .283/.330/.491 line pre-All-Star Game. We all remember what he was able to do last July, when he hit .489 during the month.

In a lot of ways, that catapulted Witt fully into the AL MVP race as he led the Royals into the postseason. He posted a 1.054 OPS in the second half last year. The entire team seems to play better when Witt plays well, and a lift like that can’t be understated for this team.

Prospect to watch: Jac Caglianone
Caglianone will officially graduate from prospect status coming out of the break, but he’s still only a month and a half into his big league career, so let’s count him for this. The 22-year-old slugger is slashing .140/.196/.264 with four home runs in what has been a brutal start. But 35 games is a very small sample, and there’s still time for Caglianone to turn it around.

Plus, finding better results and the power that he’s built his game around would be the impact the Royals need in their lineup -- almost like finding the outfield bat they’ll be looking to acquire at the Deadline.

Games remaining
• 65 (Home, 32; Away, 35)

Remaining strength of schedule
• .495 opponents' winning percentage, 20th in MLB, 10th in AL, second in AL Central

Key series
• Aug. 1-10: A day after the Trade Deadline, the Royals begin a 10-game road trip through Toronto, Boston and Minnesota. All three are contending AL teams, with the Blue Jays currently out in front of a tough AL East, the Red Sox not far behind and holding a Wild Card spot, and the Twins trying to stay alive in the Wild Card race along with the Royals. Whatever the Royals do at the Deadline, they’re going to be tested with that new roster very, very quickly.

• Aug. 22-24: Three-game series at Detroit, followed the next weekend (Aug. 29-31) hosting the Tigers, who have essentially run away with the AL Central, leading by 11 1/2 games. But if the Royals are still in the Wild Card mix, these are two pivotal weekends against a really good team.

• Sept. 8-14: A six-game road trip through Cleveland and Philadelphia will be another tough test for the Royals if they’re still in it, especially if the Guardians, who are having a down year, are still alive in the Wild Card race. Philly is a tough place to play and the Phils are always a tough team to beat. And then the Royals will come home to face the Mariners and Blue Jays, two teams currently in the playoff picture.