The Royals' bigger issue isn't form, it's the training room. Bobby Witt Jr. was pulled from Sunday's game with right knee soreness and is day-to-day. Salvador Perez sat Sunday with a thumb issue. Jac Caglianone is dealing with a shoulder. A lineup missing any combination of Witt, Perez and Caglianone against Eovaldi is a very different lineup than the one Vegas modeled when this line opened.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott (SS) — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.04/07
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith (2B) — Smith (glute/wrist/illness) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Saturday.06/06
- 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Jansen is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.06/06
- 15-Day-ILCole Winn (RP) — Winn (arm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.06/05
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin (RP) — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.06/01
- OutDeclan Cronin (RP) — Cronin (elbow) signed a two-year, minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.05/08
- OutNabil Crismatt (SP) — Crismatt will undergo surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.06/04
- 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
- 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23
- 60-Day-ILCody Bradford (SP) — Bradford (elbow) began throwing from 60 feet during the Rangers' most recent homestand, MLB.com reports05/10
- Day-To-DayBobby Witt Jr. (SS) — Witt was removed from Sunday's game against Minnesota due to right knee soreness.06/07
- Day-To-DaySalvador Perez (C) — Perez is not in Sunday's lineup against the Twins due to a right thumb injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.06/07
- Day-To-DayJac Caglianone (RF) — Caglianone (shoulder) is not in the Royals' starting lineup against the Twins on Sunday.06/07
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli (SP) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJavier Vaz (2B) — Vaz (fingers) has produced a .238/.304/.262 slash line with zero home runs and three stolen bases in 10 games since being activated from Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 7-day injured list April 22.05/08
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero (RP) — no05/08
- 15-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — The Royals announced Monday that Bubic (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.06/08
- bereavementStephen Kolek (SP) — Kolek took a no-decision Wednesday against the Reds, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.06/04
- 15-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans (elbow) resumed playing catch Monday, MLB.com reports.06/02
- 15-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (2-3) was tagged with the loss in relief Friday against the Mariners after allowing two runs on one hit and one walk over one inning.05/29
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) began playing catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.05/28
- 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
- 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
- 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
The market sees this as essentially a pick'em — Pinnacle has Texas at -114 and Kansas City at +103, with a fair-probability split of 52/48. The total sits at 9.5 with juice to the under (-124), which tracks given Kolek's 3.32 ERA and Eovaldi's ability to grind through 6-7 innings even on rough nights. The under is the bet that requires the least imagination here.
If Witt plays and Perez is back behind the plate, this is a real test for Eovaldi, who has been homer-prone all year. If they're both out, Texas has a clean path to running the table on a depleted Royals lineup. Watch the lineup card at 5:40 PM CT — that's the whole game.