Pitcher List has predicted the Royals opening day lineup with some commentary. Against Sonny Gray (RHP):
Quote:
1. Witt (SS)
2. Melendez (RF)
3. Salvy (C)
4. Pasquantino (1B)
5. Dozier (3B)
6. Massey (2B)
7. Franimal (DH)
8. Isbel (CF)
9. Eaton (RF)
The Royals are quietly one of the hardest teams to predict an Opening Day lineup for. With a plethora of young talent, there are many ways this lineup could turn out. The team currently has a shortage of true outfielders. With Drew Waters hurt, those three positions are wide open and will likely come down to Spring Training performances. With Nick Eaton and Franmil Reyes swinging hot bats, the Royals will be inclined to give them a chance to start. Reyes is not on the 40-man roster but was one of the top home run hitters in baseball just a couple of years ago.
This will push MJ Melendez to the outfield where he has continued to get more comfortable and also keep Edward Olivares on the bench. One other odd man out is Nick Pratto. Pratto seems to be the forgotten man, but a rough Spring Training with a high strikeout rate sends him back to Triple-A.
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Note that they show two starting RFs and no LF, so that's a typo and I suspect they meant MJ will be in LF. But the key takeaway is that the mystery about whether Olivares will get a regular shot does continue....