The Yankees are in Kansas City and they have not exactly been polite guests. After a 4-3 series opener, New York followed it up with a 15-1 demolition Tuesday that featured 6 home runs and every starter logging multiple hits — a first in franchise history per the recaps coming out of the clubhouse. Now they get Gerrit Cole on the bump. Good luck, Royals.
Cole's line says 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and that is not a typo. This is essentially his second start back from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2025. His debut against Tampa on May 22 was 6 innings of 2-hit, scoreless ball on just 72 pitches — encouraging stuff, though the 2 strikeouts and 3 walks suggest he is still feeling out command. He is on a pitch count, but at this rate he does not need to be sharp for long with the lineup behind him.
Noah Cameron gets the unfortunate assignment of trying to slow this thing down. The Royals' second-year righty came in with a 4.72 ERA and has been labeled a sophomore-slump candidate in the local coverage — a real drop from the 2.99 he posted as a rookie. His last outing against Seattle was actually his best look in a while (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K), so maybe there is something to build on. He is going to need it. The Yankees have scored 19 runs in 2 games at Kauffman.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Dominguez (shoulder) could be ready for a minor-league rehab assignment during the first week of June, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) is slated to undergo imaging in the next week, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Fried (elbow) played catch Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Chivilli (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for roughly three weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli SP — no
- 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.
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonathan India 2B — The Royals announced Tuesday that India underwent season-ending surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Estevez RP — Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Estevez (shoulder) is slated to be re-examined by the team doctor Tuesday and could be cleared to resume throwing if he receives a positive evaluation, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
- 15-Day-ILCole Ragans SP — Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that Ragans (elbow) will be shut down for 2-to-3 days after not bouncing back well from Saturday's rehab start with Triple-A Omaha, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILKris Bubic SP — Bubic (elbow) started a full throwing program Saturday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Strahm RP — Strahm received an injection Monday to help with symptoms of right knee inflammation, MLB.com reports.
The injury sheet is doing the Royals no favors either. Cole Ragans was just shut down again after a rocky rehab start, Kris Bubic is still working back, and the bullpen is missing Carlos Estevez and Matt Strahm. Jonathan India is done for the year after labrum surgery. New York is without Max Fried, Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton, but when Cody Bellinger, Amed Rosario, Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are combining for 12 RBIs in a single night, you can survive a lot.
The market has the Yankees at -205 on the moneyline and -1.5 on the runline, which feels about right given everything above — and the EV on every side is negative, so this is not a spot the sharps love. The total sits at 8.5. If Cole is on a leash and the bullpen takes over early, the under has a path. If the Yankees pick up where they left off Tuesday, the over clears by the 5th. Either way, the Royals need this series to be over yesterday.