Four Things Royals Fans Learned at the Home Opener – Royals

It was an eventful home opener for the Kansas City Royals on Monday, March 30th. Not only did the Royals win 3-1, but they also did so in front of a sold-out crowd at Kauffman Stadium on a beautiful afternoon.

After a mediocre opening road trip in Atlanta, getting a good start on this homestand (which includes the Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend) was nice to see. Even if the Twins have lower expectations this year than the Royals, they are a division opponent and spoiled Kansas City’s Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium back in 2023 and 2024. 

In the Royals’ win on Monday, their first home-opening win since 2022 (when they beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1), there were some things that Royals fans learned about the club both on and off the field. Those takeaways relate to the Royals’ lineup, their bullpen, Kris Bubic in his first start of 2026, and the future of Kauffman, the Royals’ home stadium since 1973.

There Is Potential at the Bottom of the Lineup With Collins and Isbel

With windy and sunny conditions on Monday, it was expected that the Royals would have a good shot to hit some home runs against Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. That said, Royals fans expected those home runs to come from big names like Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino. Those four combined for three hits, with Garcia’s double the only extra-base hit from the bunch (Witt and Pasquaintino went hitless). 

Instead, it was Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins, the Royals’ nine and eight hitters, respectively, who produced big flies in front of a sold-out Kauffman Stadium crowd. 

Isbel struck first for the Royals, as he launched a 403-foot home run on a slider from Woods Richardson in the second inning, not long after Minnesota’s Matt Wallner launched a 424-foot home run into the fountains. Isbel’s home run gave the Royals a 2-1 lead and would’ve been a home run in Kauffman’s old dimensions.

After collective struggles from both lineups for over four innings, Collins, who was hitless on the Atlanta road trip, came up big with a solo home run of his own against Twins reliever Kody Funderburk. Collins’ home run traveled 400 feet, had an exit velocity of 103.9 MPH, and was a home run in all 30 MLB Ballparks (like Isbel’s). 

The Royals haven’t gotten off to the greatest start on the hitting end in 2026. According to Fangraphs, they rank 28th in batting average and OBP, and 29th in runs scored. Granted, it’s only a four-game sample, but the offense needs more production from the bottom of the lineup to see an improvement from their 93 team wRC+ last year, which ranked 22nd in baseball.

India got a base hit on Monday, which snapped his hitless streak as well (though it probably should’ve been caught, as Wallner got a late read on it). However, Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. That was disappointing to see, especially considering the promise they showed in the Atlanta series. 

It is expected that the bottom of the Royals’ lineup, like any MLB lineup, will go through ebbs and flows throughout a season. That said, Collins and Isbel hitting well would be a huge boost to this lineup and give more scoring opportunities for the top of the Kansas City batting order.

Hopefully, their home runs on Monday were a spark in the right direction for Collins and Isbel.

The Royals Have Bullpen Depth With Lynch IV, Mears, and Schreiber

After a meltdown by Carlos Estevez in game two of the 2026 season, there were some questions about the Royals’ bullpen and whether or not they could step up as the veteran closer figures it out.

They showed they could on Sunday, as Lucas Erceg notched the save. On Monday, the result was the same, though a couple of different names were involved. 

Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears made their 2026 debuts and absolutely shut down a reeling Twins lineup. In two innings of work, Lynch IV and Mears gave up no runs, no walks, and only one hit. They also combined to throw only 17 pitches, a sign of efficiency on the mound. 

Lynch IV showed excellent efficiency on the mound, not just flooding the strike zone, but also generating a good amount of chase and whiff, as illustrated by his TJ Stats summary below.

The TJ Stuff+ was slightly below average, with an overall score of 99. However, one can’t argue with the results, especially with a 77.8% zone rate, 50% chase rate, and 28.6% whiff rate. His sinker and changeup velocity did play a little bit up from 2025, though both pitches saw slight declines in their TJ Stuff+ marks (-2 for the four-seamer and -4 for the changeup). It’ll be interesting to see how Lynch fares in his next outing, especially against a better lineup.

As for Mears, the TJ Stuff+ numbers were great, as was the chase and whiff, as illustrated in his summary below.

Mears posted a 105 TJ Stuff+, and he also sported a 50% chase and 33.3% whiff. His zone and xwOBACON were about average at 50% and .354, respectively. What’s interesting to see from his TJ Stuff+ is that it was down two points from a year ago. That said, this was his first outing of 2026. Hence, he could see some improvement in his TJ Stuff+ over the course of the year, which could further improve the results. 

With the Royals holding a two-run lead in the ninth, Matt Quatraro opted to go with Royals veteran John Schreiber in the ninth, especially with Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg having pitched in back-to-back outings. Schreiber closed the door on the Twins hitters, allowing only one hit and getting the save on 15 pitches. Schreiber had pitched on Sunday in a setup role, but he didn’t seem to miss a beat against Minnesota. 

Schreiber didn’t generate a whole lot of chase (14.3%) or whiff (0.0%), and he gave up some hard contact, with Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton collecting hard hits (though only Jeffers’ was a base hit). That explains why his .454 xwOBACON was so high. However, his 100 TJ Stuff+ was one point better than a year ago, and his sinker and sweeper velocity were up as well. 

The Royals have the depth to not only handle the Estevez situation but also allow him to take his time as he works to regain his velocity. The fact that the Royals can turn to someone like Schreiber in an emergency situation, and he’s able to collect the save, shows that the bullpen could be a strength of this club in 2026. 

Bubic Will Be A Solid Starter Again (Even With Some Tough Spots)

It was a brutal start for Bubic, initially.

In the first inning, he allowed a single and a walk, but he got out of it thanks to a pickoff of Austin Martin, and two flyouts (though he was hit hard in the inning). Things didn’t get much better at the start of the second inning, as he gave up a bomb to Wallner that made it into the fountains.

However, after that Wallner homer, Bubic locked in and didn’t give up a hit for the remainder of his outing, which spanned six innings. 

When looking at his TJ Stats summary, it wasn’t Bubic’s most impressive outing, stuff-wise. His TJ Stuff+ was down from a year ago, as was his four-seamer velocity. However, that didn’t stop him from generating a good amount of chase and whiff, while still maximizing his zone rate and minimizing hard contact. All those things are reflected in his TJ Stats summary from today’s quality start.

His whiff rate was excellent at 35.3%, and his chase rate and xwOBACON were above-average at 30.8% and .339, respectively. His zone rate was a little below average at 48%, but that likely was due to his lackluster control on the changeup and slider, which had zone rates of 25% and 20%, respectively. Despite those paltry zone rates, he still did generate a 66.7% whiff rate on the changeup and a 100% whiff rate on the slider.

It wasn’t the prettiest start, but it was the kind of grind-it-out affair that Bubic was known for in 2025, when he made the AL All-Star team. I also wonder if there were some nerves for Bubic, especially with him starting in his first career home opener. He talked about how different it was for him, especially when comparing it to his first career start at Kauffman during the 2020 COVID season when fans weren’t allowed. 

Even though he had some contract and arbitration issues, and his future beyond 2026 remains murky, Bubic seems poised to be another solid contributor to this Royals rotation in 2026. 

Royals Poised to Move on From the K by 2031, Even Without an Exact Location (Yet)

Owner John Sherman did a press conference, per usual, on Opening Day before the Opening Day festivities began. As expected in every Sherman interview these days, the stadium situation came up. Per usual, Sherman was mum about the details of a location and where they were in those discussions, but did clarify that things were “picking up”. 

That said, Sherman did seem to clarify that the Royals will be moving on from Kauffman and the Truman Sports Complex, even in the wake of the Kansas City Chiefs’ planned move to Wyandotte County in Kansas. Here’s what Sherman said to KCTV 5’s Sarah Motter, regarding the Royals’ lease at Kauffman, which is set to expire in 2031.

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Sherman confirmed the Royals will not extend their lease at Kauffman Stadium beyond its January 2031 expiration.

“That’s certainly not in the plan,” Sherman said. “Look, this is a beautiful place to play baseball, you know, the field has great sightlines, it’s a symmetrical ballpark, but it also – you know, the building will be 60 years old at the end of the decade when the lease is up. And I think I’d like to locate our next generational home in a place where we can build energy and vibrancy around it in a higher-density area.”

Kauffman Stadium remains one of the more beloved and well-known ballparks among MLB fans. It is in its 53rd season of operation and is still well-regarded for its beautiful features, including the iconic fountains, and for the excellence of the “game-watching” experience. It has also improved its concession and beverage offerings since Sherman took over as owner, incorporating more local vendors and restaurants at the K. 

That said, any hope that the Royals would take the space at the Truman Sports Complex to be vacated by the Chiefs and Arrowhead seemed to be put to bed by Sherman before Monday’s game against the Twins. At least the Royals will have five more seasons at the K, including this year.