Massey enjoying his coming out party, helping KC strive for ALCS

The Royals think highly enough of second baseman Michael Massey to believe that he is a future All-Star. Manager Matt Quatraro calls Massey, 26, “a stalwart in our lineup.”

Massey is having his moment to shine, as the Royals’ matchup with the Yankees continues in the American League Division Series. In the first two games, Massey was 3-for-7 with two walks, and he’s had success in both the leadoff spot and the middle of the order.

Massey was able to show off his acrobatic skills, too, in the seventh inning of Game 1. As Jazz Chisholm was attempting to steal second base, catcher Salvador Perez made a high throw to Massey, who jumped high for the ball, caught it and made a tremendous tag on Chisholm’s left foot.

It looked like the foot didn’t touch the base when Massey made the tag. But Chisholm was called safe and, after the Royals requested a review, the play stood. Chisholm ended up scoring the winning run on a single by Alex Verdugo.

“He has always been a good hitter, no question about it,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said about Massey. “Defensively, he had to make up some ground which he is clearly doing now. He has always worked extremely hard.”

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Massey appreciates the comments from his GM, but he also looks at his success in a slightly different manner.

“If you contribute to a winning team, they will never fire you. That’s all I try to do,” Massey said. “I really don’t worry about what my average is or the homers that I have. I try to contribute and win games.”

When Massey is mentioned in baseball circles these days, questions are often directed toward his health, and if he can stay on the field for a full season. This year, he has been dealing with back problems, which caused him to have two stints on the injured list. It’s more of a disc problem, according to Massey.

He missed the first 19 games of the season with lower back tightness. Then he endured another stint on the IL from May 26-June 24 with a low back ligament sprain.

After he returned from the IL the second time, Massey had a talk with assistant hitting coach Joe Dillon, who also dealt with chronic back issues during his playing career in the early 2000s. Dillon gave Massey pointers about some stretching techniques, and he also told him to stay positive and play through the pain.

“Even some days, mentally, you don’t feel like you can go,” Massey said. “But [Dillon] told me, ‘Hey man, you have to push through it and I promise you will get better.’ Because he has that experience, I’m willing to trust him on it. It’s one of those things where you wake up in the morning and you didn’t think you could play that day. By the end of the night, I’m glad I did play because I feel great. It heals quicker that way as well when you keep moving.”

After the talk with Dillon, Massey’s health improved. From Aug. 1 through the end of the regular season, he had a slash line of .270/.317/.441 (41-for-152) with 15 extra-base hits in 47 games. The at-bats look different: His pitch selection is better and he is coming through in the clutch.

“The training and strength staff has been incredible,” Massey said. “They are putting together a good program before the game, after the game and on off days. We feel we have done a good job of identifying the problem. I’m getting the medical treatment that I need and the strength work as well.”

Massey plans to be a key contributor to help the Royals advance to the AL Championship Series. The ALDS is tied at a game apiece with the series shifting to Kansas City.

“Both games have been incredible going back to Saturday with the back and forth,” he said. “When you are up a couple of runs, you always feel like it’s a tight game. Either team can get back in it. I think it’s going to be a great series. … Our mantra has been today all year. We keep it one day at a time. Enjoy the night, we have the off day [on Tuesday] and get back at the Yankees on Wednesday.”