Postseason FAQ: What's next for Royals?

Postseason FAQ: What's next for Royals?

7:03 AM UTC

ATLANTA -- It’s been nine years since the Royals last appeared in the postseason, and nine years since they brought the World Series title back to Kansas City for just the second time in franchise history.

In 2024, they defied the odds and will be playing in October, clinching an American League Wild Card spot on Friday night in Atlanta.

“Ever since I got drafted here, this has been the goal,” said. “Get to the postseason, get to the World Series. It’s unbelievable. This team is so special. So many winners on this team. All we care about is winning and picking up each other. We’ve been through ups and downs, but we always come back and fight the next day. We’ve had that all year. We’re not done yet.”

Here’s what you need to know to get ready for the Royals’ 2024 postseason run:

When does the postseason start?

All four best-of-three Wild Card Series will occur next Tuesday through Thursday.

Who will the Royals face?

Kansas City will either go to Baltimore or Houston, depending on the final two games of the regular season. The Orioles clinched home-field advantage as the No. 4 seed, while the Astros will host the other American League Wild Card Series as the AL West champions.

The Royals (85-75) are one game behind the Tigers (86-74), who also clinched a postseason berth with a win on Friday, in the AL Wild Card standings, meaning if the season ended Friday, the No. 6-seed Royals would play the Astros, and the No. 5-seed Tigers would go to Baltimore.

The Royals hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers, though, so if they move back into a tie with the next two games, the Royals would have the higher seed and face the Orioles.

Who is eligible for the postseason roster?

Any player who was in the organization as of Aug. 31 is eligible, including Minor Leaguers. Yes, that means the Royals’ additions from the waiver wire at the end of August -- Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel and Robbie Grossman -- are available.

Rosters revert to 26 players for the postseason, with a maximum of 13 pitchers, although the Royals have been operating with 13 pitches for a few weeks now. Rosters are due the morning of Game 1 in each round, which would be Tuesday for the Wild Card Series.

What will the lineup look like?

With on the injured list (more on him below), the offense looks a lot different. And as manager Matt Quatraro has shown all season, he’s not afraid to shake it up based on what the matchups look like against the opposing starter and bullpen. This changes by the night, so here’s just a rough guess:

  1. , LF
  2. , SS
  3. , 2B (L)
  4. , C
  5. , 1B
  6. , RF
  7. , DH (L)
  8. , 3B
  9. , CF (L)

Bench: catcher , utility man ; outfielders and (who would be used as a late-inning speed weapon).

How about the rotation?

The Royals will likely give the nod in Game 1 as their young ace and Opening Day starter continues to take massive steps in his career. Ragans was scheduled to pitch Game 162 in Atlanta, but can be pushed back for the Wild Card Series, which would give him a full week’s rest from last Tuesday’s start against the Nationals.

Ragans’ regular-season numbers: 32 starts, 11-9 record, 3.14 ERA, 186 1/3 innings, 223 strikeouts, 67 walks. He finished September with a 1.08 ERA across four starts.

After Ragans, the Royals should have following Game 2, with the veteran’s 3.03 regular-season ERA ranking sixth-best in the American League.

If Game 3 is necessary, it seems likely the Royals could turn to veteran starter , who has postseason experience and finished the regular season with a 3.35 ERA.

And the bullpen?

The high-leverage relievers are locks to make the roster: (closer), Sam Long and . , and (who can handle multiple innings) have pitched their way toward that tier in recent weeks. seems likely to have a spot in the bullpen, too.

Because the Royals only need three starters, they can have swingmen and in the bullpen, as well as Singer, who has spent the entire season in the Royals' rotation but really struggles against left-handers. If there’s a right-handed matchup, Singer could be a valuable asset in short stints.

What will be the toughest roster decisions?

One major factor will be the health of Pasquantino (more on him below) and whether he’ll be ready to go by next week -- which would be just five weeks after he broke his thumb on Aug. 29 in Houston -- or if he’ll have to wait until a potential Division Series to make his return.

The Royals also need to decide who best fits on their bench; like Quatraro has done all year, he’ll be leaning on matchups and using the entire roster to get through games.

Grossman and infielder Paul DeJong also could factor into the roster equation, but the Royals are currently carrying 15 position players on their roster and need to cut it down to 13.

Which injured players could return in time for the postseason?

The X-factor here is Pasquantino, who is doing everything he can to get his thumb healed and get back in time for October. He’s been hitting -- he would likely only be a designated hitter option when he returns -- and getting his bat back in the lineup would do wonders for an offense trying to get back on track. It’s still unclear whether Pasquantino could be ready for the Wild Card Series or if the Royals would need to get to the Division Series. At the time of his injury, the Royals put a six-to-eight week timeline on his return; if that timeline is still viable, it would put Pasquantino back by the Division Series at the earliest.

Relievers (back spasms) and (right forearm flexor strain) are both still on the injured list, but Smith is much further ahead in his recovery than Stratton, who only began playing catch again earlier this week. Smith is scheduled to throw his second simulated inning this weekend in Atlanta. Smith has struggled this year, but he’s been on the World Series-winning team the last three years. His experience and guidance has been invaluable this season in the bullpen.