After dropping a frustrating home series against the fourth-place Red Sox, the Yankees will welcome another fourth-place team to the Bronx for a three-game, mid-week set. The Kansas City Royals are seeking balance, with their pitchers allowing the third-fewest runs in the AL while their batters have scored the second-fewest in the league. To this end, they elevated their top prospect, Jac Caglianone, last week.

The slugger, who was drafted sixth overall just last year, had been slashing .322/.389/.593 this season across 50 minor-league games before his promotion. He’s already provided a boost, delivering a four-hit game in Sunday’s 7-5 victory over the White Sox, and joins Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Vinnie Pasquantino in a gradually deepening Royals lineup. They’ll face a Yankees team still comfortably in first place with its ace lined up for game one.

Tuesday: Max Fried vs. Noah Cameron (7:40 pm ET)

After his first hiccup in a Yankees uniform, a six-run performance against the Dodgers that resulted in his first loss of the season, Max Fried returned to form last Friday. The southpaw held the Guardians to just one hit across six scoreless innings, punching out seven while dropping his ERA to a miniscule 1.78 and picking up his MLB-best eighth win of the season. Opponents are slugging just .248 off Fried’s four-seamer, a pitch he throws more than 40 percent of the time.

He’s set to face Noah Cameron. When Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans each missed time earlier this season, the Royals called up their second-best pitching prospect (per MLB Pipeline) to fill in the gap. He’s done much more than that, allowing just three runs in 31.2 innings through his first five outings.

Now at full strength, that performance has forced the Royals’ hand to keep him in the rotation for at least another go-around. While the 25-year-old may be in line for some regression — he’s only struck out 19 while walking 10 and has a .148 opposing BABIP — he’s yet another success story in a deep Royals rotation.

Wednesday: Clarke Schmidt vs. Kris Bubic (7:40 pm ET)

With Monday’s off-day, the Yankees decided to leapfrog Fried over Clarke Schmidt, meaning the latter is slated to start Wednesday on six days’ rest. Last time out, he allowed three Cleveland runs on seven hits, though he did punch out eight in 5.2 innings. The 29-year-old’s 99 ERA+ tells the story; after a breakout 2024, Schmidt has been middling this season. A leading factor has been the return of an old bugaboo he seemingly ironed out last year. While the right-hander is holding his fellow righties to a .561 OPS, nearly 100 points better than in 2024, lefties are knocking him around to the tune of a .820 OPS.

After a career characterized by unfulfilled potential, Kris Bubic reentered the rotation this year and has not looked back. The former first-rounder leads all of baseball with a 1.43 ERA and has allowed just three long balls in 75.1 innings. The lefty’s changeup, which he throws more than a quarter of the time against righties, has been completely neutralizing; opponents are batting just .100 and are yet to record an extra-base hit off the pitch.

Thursday: Will Warren vs. Seth Lugo (7:40 pm ET)

Will the real Will Warren please stand up? Through his first seven starts, the right-hander had a 5.65 ERA and seemed destined to return to the minors once the Yankees’ rotation depth improved. He then went 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA over his next four outings, striking out 33 while walking just five. It looked like the former top prospect had finally arrived. But, over his last two outings, Warren allowed 11 runs over just 6.2 innings, including a debacle against the Dodgers in which he couldn’t get out of the second inning.

While opponents are hitting just .148 against his heater, they’re mashing his top two complementary pitches, hitting above .330 against each.

The Royals will hand the ball to one of the most reliable starters in baseball. Seth Lugo, fresh off a Cy Young runner-up campaign last year, has been less dominant but still effective this season. Last time out, the 35-year-old gave up two runs in five innings to the White Sox, with Kansas City taking the loss for the third straight Lugo start. The advanced metrics indicate the veteran is punching above his weight, with an expected ERA of 5.19. Opponents are slugging .520 off his four-seamer, an alarming trend for a pitcher who’s seen his fastball velo drop by nearly three miles per hour since 2022.