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Kansas City Royals prospect Raul Mondesi has been suspended 50 games for violating the joint drug agreement. 

Major League Baseball confirmed Mondesi’s 50-game suspension Tuesday on Twitter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to decrease his punishment from 80 games “after he showed substance in cold medicine.”

Sherman noted that Mondesi’s argument in his favor to get the suspension reduced came under the “No Significant Fault or Negligence” provision that was resolved before an appeal to the positive test was filed.

ESPN’s T.J. Quinn wrote that Mondesi is the first player to successfully receive a reduced suspension “under the unintentional ingestion provision” that was added to the previous joint drug agreement.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore issued a statement after Mondesi’s suspension was announced, via Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

Mondesi also released a statement through the MLB Players Association, via MLB.com’s Cash Kruth:

Today, I agreed to accept a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball. It is by far one of the hardest moments I have had to face in my life, but it is a decision that I accept and one that I take full responsibility for as a professional.

I took an over-the-counter medication [Subrox-C], which I bought in the Dominican Republic to treat cold and flu symptoms. I failed to read the labeling on the medication or consult with my trainer or team about taking it and did not know it contained a banned substance. I tested positive for that banned substance, with a minuscule amount of Clenbuterol in my system, which could not have possibly enhanced my performance on the field, and now must face the consequences of that mistake.

I apologize to my organization, my teammates, the fans and everyone who has supported me in my career. Never did I intend to take a substance that would give me an unfair advantage on the field. It is solely my mistake and there are no excuses for my carelessness in not being fully informed of what I put in my body. My goal is to work through this setback and make it back in time to help my organization compete for another World Series title.

MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported that Mondesi will be eligible for this year’s playoffs and any potential tiebreaker games the Royals might play. 

Baseball America‘s J.J. Cooper noted that Mondesi’s suspension is coming at a bad time for him based on his current performance at Double-A:

The 20-year-old made history last October when he became the first player in history to make his MLB debut in the World Series, striking out against New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard in Game 3. 

MLB.com ranked Mondesi as the Royals’ No. 1 prospect coming into 2016. Kansas City has aggressively pushed him through the minors, as this is his second full season in Double-A. The team signed him as a non-drafted free agent when he was 16 years old in July 2011. 

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Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas was placed on the disabled list Saturday with a thumb injury after originally trying to play through the ailment.

Continue for updates.

Moustakas’ Timetable Unclear With Thumb Issue

Saturday, May 7

Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City confirmed the infielder was placed on the DL with a thumb fracture. He’ll be replaced on the 25-man roster by Cheslor Cuthbert. Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star confirmed the move.

Moustakas originally missed some time earlier in the week while battling problems with his thumb. He returned to the starting lineup Wednesday but was held out again Friday after an off day. That signaled there was probably a bigger issue at hand.

It’s unclear how long he could miss with the injury. The 27-year-old slugger has tallied seven home runs through 25 games so far this season.

He’s coming off of a career year in 2015. He recorded highs with a .284 batting average and 22 home runs along with 82 RBI as he helped lead the Royals to their first World Series title in 30 years. 

He proved that he can be a legitimate middle-of-the-order batter and could carry the offense as well.

However there was more work to be done heading into the 2016 season, speaking with Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star: “I’m going to keep trying to do what I did last year. And get better at it. I’m not going to try and change anything, I just want to continue improving on hitting the ball the other way. That’s where I had most of my success last year.”

While Moustakas recovers, Christian Colon could step in at third base. Colon will be best known for his go-ahead single in the 12th inning of Game 5 of the World Series that delivered the title to Kansas City.

Kansas City is going to have plenty of competition in the AL Central this season with the Detroit Tigers, up-and-coming Cleveland Indians and the surprising Chicago White Sox. Without Moustakas, the Royals can’t afford to slump or else they could lose their stronghold on the division.  

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer doesn’t want to be called a hero despite saving a teenage girl from possibly being trampled following a Justin Bieber concert this week.

Hosmer went to the performance Wednesday night with a group of teammates, including Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas and Wade Davis, according to ESPN.com. They were mobbed outside the Sprint Center in Kansas City, and one girl got knocked to the ground amid the chaos.

“I think that happened before we all realized what was going [on],” Hosmer said. “Just helped her up real quick. Just doing what a guy should do. You see someone fall, you should help her up.”

He added: “I just saw a girl fall in front of me, and I helped her up. It wasn’t anything heroic or anything like that.”

Hosmer also noted it came as a surprise to the players that they were recognized and approached by so many people after the concert.

“I guess that’s what happens when you win a world championship: You become more popular,” he said, per ESPN.com.

Meanwhile, the Royals’ title defense is off to a solid start with two wins in their first three games. They edged the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Friday night. The 26-year-old first baseman is hitting .300 with a .417 on-base percentage in the early going.

Hosmer clearly wants any recognition he receives to come for his on-field work. But he prevented a potentially dangerous situation from getting out of control Wednesday night and deserves credit for that, even if he tried to downplay the importance of his actions.  

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In winning the American League pennant in 2014 and the World Series in 2015, the Kansas City Royals had a system.

And on Opening Night of the 2016 season, they showed that the system still works.

The Royals began the new season on Sunday night the same way they ended the last season: by defeating the New York Mets. And though this one didn’t win them a shiny trophy, the 4-3 victory they earned was still good enough for the adoring masses packed into Kauffman Stadium.

And let the record show that there were no fisticuffs. That seemed like a distinct possibility when word started circulating that the Royals were planning on exacting revenge for a wayward Noah Syndergaard fastball in the Fall Classic. But in the end, a dish best served cold was never served at all.

The Royals simply played baseball instead, and came away with more or less the type of win that they’ve specialized in. It’s the kind of win where, when asked how it happened, the best response is, “Well, how long you got?”

Matt Harvey, one of baseball’s best power pitchers, struck out only two batters in the process of giving up eight of Kansas City’s nine hits in his five and two-thirds innings. That kept the pressure on the Mets defense all night, and the Royals further upped the ante by careening around the bases. Alcides Escobar stole a base, and aggressive baserunning plays by Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain led to runs.

Ho hum. The Royals’ strikeout percentage over the last two seasons is the smallest in baseball by plenty. And in 2015, they swiped 104 bases (fifth) while finishing fourth in extra bases taken percentage. Driving other teams nuts with their style of offense is what they do.

“It’s all team-oriented offense,” first baseman Eric Hosmer recently told David Schoenfield of ESPN.com, “and that’s why we’re so successful and so successful against ace pitchers. I know we beat a tremendous amount of ace guys because our offense has truly bought into a game plan each and every day.”

While Kansas City’s offense specializes putting pressure on the opposing defense, their own defense is certainly none too shabby in its own right.

No team has saved more runs on defense over the last two years than the Royals’, and there was more of that excellent glovework on display Sunday night. Moustakas and Hosmer made nifty plays at the corners, and Salvador Perez and Omar Infante teamed up on a caught-stealing worthy of Statcast:

Edinson Volquez was the beneficiary of these plays, which had a hand in him logging six shutout innings. He wasn’t quite as sharp as those six scoreless innings and the two hits he allowed suggest, but he made enough good pitches to deserve a quality start.

And though quality starts are something the Royals didn’t get a lot of last season, that didn’t stop them from finishing with one of the league’s top 10 ERAs. So between Volquez’s performance and all the hitting, running and fielding the Royals were doing on Sunday night, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was really just saying what everyone was thinking when he tweeted:

There was, however, one element of the Royals’ system that wasn’t quite there Sunday night.

The dominant relief pitching they’re used to enjoying hit a snag. Kelvin Herrera did fine in a scoreless seventh inning, but offseason signee/old friend Joakim Soria had to be bailed out by Luke Hochevar after giving up three runs on three hits and two walks in the eighth inning. And in the ninth inning, Wade Davis put runners on the corners before striking out David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes to end the game.

But don’t worry about Davis. He has the lowest ERA (0.97) and lowest OPS allowed (.429) of any reliever over the last two seasons. The excellent stuff that made that’s made that possible was on display Sunday night. And though it was lost on a tight strike zone, so was the command.

Soria is more of a question, as his stumble out of the gate wasn’t entirely unexpected after he out-pitched his peripherals in 2015. But if he remains a question, Hochevar could prove to be an unexpected answer. Now well removed from his 2014 Tommy John operation, he may get back to being the overpowering reliever he was in 2013.

So, the one blemish on Kansas City’s season-opening takedown of the Mets isn’t worth worrying about. After posting the AL’s lowest ERA across 2014 and 2015, the Royals bullpen should remain one of Major League Baseball’s most formidable strengths.

The Royals won’t have to come up with a new system as long as that’s the case. Nor should they be in any hurry to, for that matter. 

At a time when hitters are striking out like crazy and still trying to trot rather than run around the bases, and when teams are trying to fool the defense gods with shifts and trusting more innings to their relievers, the Royals are basically Major League Baseball’s answer to the Golden State Warriors. They’re not just really good. They’re ahead of the curve.

Of course, there is some doubt as to whether this system can be as successful in 2016 as it has been the last two years. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections have the Royals finishing last in the AL Central. And despite some reservations based on how drastically the Royals outplayed a similar projection in 2015, Sam Miller wrote that he’s “not totally convinced that PECOTA was exactly wrong last year, or is wrong this year.”

In time, such a stance could prove to be justified. But after the Royals’ latest triumph, everyone should be in I’ll-believe-it-when-I-see-it mode regarding their projections.

Their system hasn’t let them down yet. And one game into 2016, it’s still looking pretty good.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked. 

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The Kansas City Royals will begin the defense of their 2015 World Series title Sunday night against the team they beat to win the championship, the New York Mets.

The Royals are listed at 14-1 odds to win the World Series again this season at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, while the Mets are 12-1.

Two other games on the schedule for Sunday include the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cardinals (18-1 to win the World Series) and Pirates (20-1) will both be trying to top the favored Chicago Cubs (5-1) this year, while the Blue Jays (10-1) are the leading American League team.

Kansas City will send Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA in 2015) to the mound after seeing his team defeat New York twice in his last two starts, including the World Series clincher in Game 5 that ended the franchise’s 30-year championship drought.

New York will counter with Matt Harvey (13-8, 2.71), who has been cleared to start after passing blood clots through his bladder. Harvey was scratched from his spring training start Tuesday to deal with the issue and threw a career-high 216 innings last season.

The Royals are 12-4 in their last 16 against National League opponents, including the World Series, while the Mets are 5-13 in their past 18 versus the AL.

St. Louis took 10 of the 19 meetings with Pittsburgh last year, according to the Odds Shark MLB Database, en route to winning its third consecutive NL Central title. The Cardinals, though, lost six of the 10 games played at PNC Park, where the Pirates went 53-28 last season.

Both finished ahead of Chicago in the division a year ago but find themselves battling public perception and the oddsmakers heading into the season.

St. Louis will give Adam Wainwright (2-1, 1.61) his first start since April 25 of last year in the opener while Pittsburgh rides with lefty Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.38).

Toronto will kick off the season against a young Tampa Bay team that is 40-1 to win the World Series on the baseball betting futures. The Blue Jays were eliminated by Kansas City in the AL Championship Series last season and hope to take the next step this year.

Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67) gets the call for Toronto here off a disappointing postseason in which he went 1-0 with a 4.19 ERA coming off a torn ACL he suffered during spring training. The Rays will go with ace Chris Archer (12-13, 3.23), who had a career-best 252 strikeouts last year.

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Kansas City Royals setup man Kelvin Herrera’s home in the Dominican Republic was robbed during the offseason.

The fireballing right-hander took to Twitter on Friday, complaining about the lack of police response to the case, which began in January.

Herrera wrote his post in Spanish, but an editor who speaks the language loosely translated his words, per Matt Snyder of CBS Sports:

Last January, my home in Tenares, DR, was broken into by delinquents while my family and I were not home. The delinquents robbed us of everything of value, including my championship rings from the 2014 American League [Championship], 2013 World Baseball Classic, rings from Escogido and many other things that had incalculable sentimental value. Two months later, the police of Tenares, the town where I was born and raised and never turned my back on, has done absolutely nothing; they don’t have a lead or a suspect, and the situation is frustrating.

Via this message, I’m calling upon the authorities, especially mayor Ermes Rodriguez and the municipal police director Martin Almonte, to wake up and help end the delinquency (crime).

Thankfully, the 26-year-old—who had a 153 ERA+ and 64 strikeouts in 69.2 innings last year, per Baseball-Reference.com—did not lose his 2015 World Series ring in the robbery because the team will not hand out the rings until Opening Day, per Snyder.

Josh Vernier of Kansas City’s 610 Sports Radio and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com provided updates after Herrera addressed the situation during spring training:

It’s good news that Herrera and his family were not home, and at least they got some sentimental items back.

However, it sounds as though they may never see some items that meant a lot to them again. Perhaps the police can find out who committed the crime, and the upcoming MLB season can provide a distraction for Herrera in the meantime.

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Kansas City Royals right fielder Jarrod Dyson strained his right oblique during Wednesday’s spring training game against the Texas Rangers, and it is uncertain when he will be able to return to action.

Continue for updates.

Yost Comments on Dyson’s Timeline for Recovery

Thursday, March 3

Manager Ned Yost told reporters Dyson is “likely” out for six weeks with a Grade 2 oblique strain.

Dyson’s Injury Harms Chances of Winning Starting Job

Over his first six years in the majors, Dyson carved his niche with the Royals as a reserve outfielder who provided blazing speed off of the bench. Since 2012, Dyson has recorded a combined 126 stolen bases in 399 games.

He was a part of one of the biggest moments in Royals history, scoring the go-ahead run on Christian Colon’s single in the decisive Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Mets. 

Heading into 2016, Dyson had a real chance of winning the starting right field job, per Dodd, as he was set to compete with Paulo Orlando. Last year’s starter, Alex Rios, is still on the free-agent market and won’t return to the team.

“Man, I’m ready to play every day,” Dyson told Dodd. “Been ready.”

This injury, though, keeps the door open for the right field competition as Orlando will be in the mix. So will Travis Snider, a 27-year-old who replaced Dyson after he left Wednesday’s game. Snider batted .232 with four home runs last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.

Jose Martinez could also be in the mix. He’s another 27-year-old who hit .382 in Triple-A ball last season. 

“But we’ll see how it plays. Quite frankly, I’ve been very impressed with Snider. And I know Paulo and Dyson; both of those guys have come in and been very impressive early,” Yost told Dodd before Wednesday’s game. “I’ve been impressed with Martinez. I like what I see out of him.”

The longer Dyson is sidelined, the more likely another player can work his way into the lineup and take playing time away from the 31-year-old when the regular season starts up in April. Instead of focusing on playing every day, he’ll have to prove that he’s healthy and work his way back into the lineup to help the Royals defend their World Series crown. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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The Kansas City Royals‘ task in 2016 is as simple as it is difficult: defend their World Series title.

But there’s a larger plan brewing in Western Missouri—one that involves keeping the club’s largely homegrown championship core intact for the long haul. By extending catcher and reigning Fall Classic MVP Salvador Perez at the outset of spring training, the Royals took a crucial step in that direction.

The deal, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday, locks up Perez through 2021 by picking up three team options and adding an additional two years, plus “at least $30 million” in new money.

Though he’s already logged 545 big league games, mostly behind the dish, Perez is still just 25 years old. And he cemented his durability the past two seasons, shrugging off various dings and bruises during KC’s pair of deep postseason runs.

Before the extension was announced, Perez expressed his desire to remain a Royal in perpetuity.

“I want to be George Brett,” he said, per Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. “I want to be like Frank White, like Alex Gordon. One of those guys.”

Gordon, of course, opted out of his Royals contract this winter but eventually re-signed with the club on a four-year, $72 million pact.

“I want to enjoy the success we have now, and the fun we have with all these guys,” the left fielder and four-time Gold Glove winner said after inking his new deal, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. “I’ve got a lot of friends on this team, and a lot of coaches, that I’ve gone through a lot with. It’s just a more comfortable thing to come back here with all those relationships I have.”

So that’s two key cogs spinning in the machine for the foreseeable future.

There’s more work to do, however, and it remains to be seen if the Royals have the resources to pull it off.

First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Lorenzo Cain—essentially the remainder of Kansas City’s offensive backbone—are all set to hit the open market after the 2017 season.

That trio, along with Perez and Gordon, combined for 18.3 wins above replacement in 2015, per FanGraphs. And that’s merely a crude, short-hand measure of their actual worth to the franchise.

Hosmer recently indicated he’d be open to an extension, telling MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, “If this group stays together, the best opportunity is right here.” 

Then again, talk is cheap. Extensions for budding stars generally aren’t.

At a certain point, the Royals will have to decide how far they can stretch financially. Currently, their payroll sits at No. 13 in the game, per Spotrac.com, which is almost exactly the middle of the pack. Championships, however, mean more than confetti and champagne.

They mean an infusion of cash and a swelling, hungry fanbase. If the Royals charge through October again this season, it’s entirely possible the purse strings could loosen enough to accommodate more sizable paydays.

That’s not a given. FanGraphs projects the Royals to finish a pedestrian 77-85, tied for last place in the balanced American League Central. Maybe the starting pitching won’t be enough. Maybe cracks will emerge in the vaunted bullpen. 

More than anything, though, the doubts should provide added motivation and bulletin-board fodder for a team that’s been underestimated before. And it might only strengthen an already cohesive clubhouse.

“As an organization,” Mellinger noted, “the Royals credit much of their success to a relentlessly supportive culture for their players.”

Will that culture be enough to keep all this talent from jetting off to larger markets? Not without some beefy checks to back it up.

But, as it proved with Gordon and Perez, Kansas City is now in the check-cutting business. After years as a perpetually rebuilding afterthought, the Royals have a great thing going.

Now, their simple, difficult task is to keep it going. 

“We fully expect to sign as many of our players that we currently have on our team to long-term contracts,” general manager Dayton Moore said, per Flanagan. “We anticipate that happening as we go forward. Will we get them all? Time will tell.”

Time and, if everything breaks right, another World Series run.

All statistics and contract information courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Catcher Salvador Perez has been an integral part of the Kansas City Royals lineup on a team-friendly deal since the 2012 campaign. Tuesday, the club announced it has rewarded him for his efforts with a new contract.  

Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the agreement is for five years and $52.5 million, with Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reporting the new guaranteed money is for two years and $36 million. 

This doesn’t come as much surprise, considering Heyman reported earlier in the offseason that the Royals were “quietly trying to rework/extend” the three-time All-Star’s deal.

Perez signed a five-year contract with the Royals worth $7 million before the 2012 campaign. Per Baseball-Reference.com, the deal also included club options worth a combined $14.75 million that could have kept him in Kansas City for three additional seasons.

It was something of a risky move at the time for the front office because Perez was only 21 years old and coming off a mere 39 games played in his rookie season. He did hit .331 in that small sample size in 2011, and Kansas City made a long-term commitment to the prospect.

It certainly worked out well for the Royals, as Perez has developed into an offensive force and one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball with three Gold Gloves to his name. Perez hit .260 with a career-best 21 home runs and 70 RBI in 2015, although his 2.2 WAR was his lowest mark since his rookie season.

The dip in WAR can be partially explained by a .280 on-base percentage, which was only .020 points ahead of his batting average because of a mere 13 walks in 142 games. However, he was a postseason hero for the World Series champions and belted four home runs in the playoffs. He also hit .364 against the New York Mets in the Fall Classic.

In fact, Perez was named the World Series MVP for his efforts and drove home the tying run in the ninth inning of Kansas City’s title-clinching win.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore discussed the possibility of reworking Perez’s contract in the aftermath, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com:

That’s a decision we’d have to discuss as an organization. I don’t know when the right time is to do that. I don’t know if there have been examples of [restructuring long-term deals]. But if a player doesn‘t perform, the club is usually often wishing it didn’t [do a long-term deal].

But you know, we love Salvy. He’s family. We’ll see.

Even with the drop-off in WAR in 2015, Perez is still one of the best backstops in the league. According to MLB.com, he was fifth among all catchers in batting average, third in home runs and fifth in RBI. Perhaps more importantly, FanGraphs noted Perez is responsible for 34 total defensive runs saved above average since 2011.

FanGraphs also rated Perez as the second-best defensive catcher in all of baseball from 2013 to 2015.

Catchers are involved in virtually every play on the diamond, and Perez’s fielding ability stands out even more than his traditional offensive power metrics. He will also only be 26 years old during the majority of the 2016 campaign and theoretically has a handful of productive years remaining in his prime.

The postseason production was an indication that he can perform at a championship level in the most important moments, and the Royals would probably gladly pay more money on Perez’s contract if he helps bring home another World Series title.

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Seeking depth for their starting rotation, the Kansas City Royals signed left-hander Mike Minor to a two-year contract Friday.   

The Royals announced Minor’s deal on Twitter. Per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Minor will make $6 million through 2017, and the agreement includes a mutual option for 2018 valued at $10 million with a $1.5 million buyout. 

To make room for Minor, per MLB Roster Moves, the Royals put left-handed starter Jason Vargas on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. 

Per Flanagan, the Royals believe there is a “slim chance” Vargas pitches this season after he went under the knife on Aug. 5.

Minor isn’t coming to Kansas City with a track record of staying healthy. The 28-year-old missed all of 2015 after having surgery in May to repair a slightly torn labrum in his left (pitching) shoulder. 

Royals general manager Dayton Moore told reporters (via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star) that Minor will likely miss “six weeks to two months” of the regular season while he continues to rehab his shoulder. 

The Royals are betting on Minor’s youth and upside with this deal. He spent the first five years of his career with the Atlanta Braves, looking like a terrific young piece in their rotation in 2013 with career highs in starts (32), innings (204.2), ERA (3.21), strikeouts (181) and WHIP (1.09).

In 2014, even though things started to fall apart for Minor with a 4.77 ERA in 25 starts, he still had occasional moments of brilliance, via MLB.com:

Moore is not afraid to take risks on starting pitchers. He already signed Ian Kennedy, who had a 4.28 ERA last season, to a five-year contract. Chris Young was a reclamation project taken on in 2015 and posted a 3.06 ERA in 34 games (18 starts). 

The Royals’ success stems largely from an outstanding defense, which will put less pressure on Minor to overpower hitters when he returns. If his shoulder is close to 100 percent, this signing will be one of the biggest offseason steals. 

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