Lynch (6-2) earned the win Sunday against the Athletics. He struck out three over 2.1 perfect innings.
Lynch closed the regular season in dominant fashion, retiring all seven batters he faced with a trio of punchouts. His 4.76 FIP is worth noting, but the southpaw turned in solid surface numbers in 2025, recording a 3.06 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 57 appearances and 67.2 innings. The Royals didn't lean on him consistently in high-leverage situations, but he generally delivered when used and often provided more than just a single inning, as he did Sunday.
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Royals' Michael Massey: Tallies four hits
Rotowire
Massey went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-2 victory over the Athletics.
Massey capped the regular season swinging well, tying his season high with four hits -- his second four-hit effort in the past five games. Even with that strong finish, it's been a rough year for the utility man, who battled multiple injuries and struggled when on the field, slashing .244/.268/.313 with nine doubles, three homers and 20 RBI across 77 games.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Finishes breakout year
Rotowire
Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Athletics.
Garcia wasted no time, ripping a leadoff double on the first pitch of the game before adding a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth. The strong regular-season finale lifted his 2025 OPS to an even .800 with 39 doubles, five triples, 16 homers, 74 RBI and 23 stolen bases across 160 games, cementing a breakout year after he posted just a .613 OPS in 157 games last season.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Monster homer in win
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Jensen went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Sunday's victory over the Athletics.
Jensen capped Sunday's regular-season finale with three hits, highlighted by a towering 482-foot homer in the seventh inning that stretched the lead to six. The young catcher hasn't looked overmatched since his Sept. 2 call-up, batting .300/.391/.550 with six doubles, three homers and 13 RBI across 20 games. Despite having a disappointing 2025 in which they missed the postseason, the Royals may have a future star behind the plate in Jensen, especially as Salvador Perez ages.
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Royals' Mike Yastrzemski: Blasts two homers in win
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Yastrzemski went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs, a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-2 victory over the Athletics.
The veteran outfielder broke out of his home run drought in emphatic fashion, launching a deep shot to right field off Michael Kelly in the seventh inning before adding another solo blast to right against Osvaldo Bido an inning later. Earlier in the game, Yastrzemski also swiped his seventh base of the season after a third-inning walk. The pair of long balls pushed his season total to 17, with nine of those coming since joining the Royals at the trade deadline. Yastrzemski hadn't gone deep in his previous 24 games, a stretch in which he hit just .176 with a .549 OPS and three RBI, making Sunday's performance a strong way to finish the regular season.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Ends season on high note
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Ragans didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Athletics, allowing two hits and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
The left-hander was electric despite the short outing, piling up 17 swinging strikes on 72 pitches while leaning heavily on his fastball. He put together a particularly dominant stretch during which he struck out six of eight batters faced. Since returning from the injured list, Ragans has been exactly what the Royals hoped for, looking sharp across three outings. Over that span, he's delivered a 2.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and a 22:4 K:BB across 13 innings, showing not only that his strikeout ability remains intact but also that there are no lingering concerns about his durability or effectiveness heading into the offseason.
Caglianone is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.
The Royals will withhold Caglianone from the lineup for the second straight day to close out the regular season, with John Rave getting another start in the outfield. Though the 22-year-old Caglianone is still viewed as a major part of the Royals' long-term future, he's had a tough go in his first taste of the big leagues, slashing just .158/.238/.297 in 231 plate appearances since being promoted from Triple-A Omaha in June.
Witt went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one stolen base in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Athletics.
Witt continues to swing a hot bat to close out 2025 -- he's posted multiple hits in seven of his last 12 games, going 19-for-54 (.352) in that span. The shortstop is up to 38 steals on the year after his theft Saturday, giving him an outside chance of reaching 40 if he plays in the season finale Sunday. For the season, he's added a .296/.352/.502 slash line with 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 99 runs scored, 46 doubles and six triples over 156 contests.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Clinches saves lead for season
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Estevez struck out two and hit a batter while pitching a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Athletics.
This was Estevez's 42nd save of the season, ensuring he would finish first in the majors in the category -- he's two ahead of San Diego's Robert Suarez with one day left in the campaign. Opportunities have been limited for Estevez in September, as he's collected saves in six of his seven appearances for the month. The right-handed closer is at a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 66 innings this year.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Gets to 10-win mark
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Wacha (10-13) allowed two hits and three walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday over the Athletics.
Wacha was able to end the season on a high note with his first quality start in five outings. The veteran right-hander earned a decision in each of his last 10 starts, going 6-4 with a 4.55 ERA after the start of August. His year as a whole was a little better than that last stretch despite the poor record, as he finished 2025 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 126:45 K:BB over 172.2 innings across 31 starts, though it was a slight step back from his work over the previous three seasons.
Caglianone isn't in the Royals' lineup for Saturday's game versus the Athletics.
The Royals will keep Caglianone in the dugout Saturday following an 0-for-8 stretch at the plate across his last three games. His absence will allow John Rave to start in center field and bat ninth.
India went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.
India's fourth-inning blast off Mason Barnett opened the scoring, but it was all the Royals could produce. India had gone over a month without a homer, batting just .203 (13-for-64) over 21 contests between long balls while missing time due to a wrist injury in that span. He's now at a .234/.324/.347 slash line with nine homers, 45 RBI, 63 runs scored, 29 doubles and no stolen bases over 135 contests. India held a starting role for much of the season but has slipped into a timeshare with Michael Massey and Adam Frazier in September.
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Royals' Noah Cameron: Shaky command in no-decision
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Cameron allowed three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Friday.
Cameron did fine until the fifth inning, when the Athletics were able to collect four of their eight baserunners against him. A Jacob Wilson three-run double tied the game after Taylor Clarke entered the game in relief of Cameron, denying the rookie a chance to reach the 10-win mark. He ends 2025 with a 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 114:43 K:BB across 138.1 innings as well as a 9-7 record over 24 starts. While there were some bumps along the way, Cameron's pitched well enough to have an inside track for a rotation spot in 2026.
Massey is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.
Massey will start Friday's game on the bench even as the Royals go up against a right-hander (Mason Barnett). Jonathan India will step in at second base and bat seventh.
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