Loftin (groin) will start at third base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Rays.
After sustaining a groin bruise late in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox, Loftin ended up sitting out Sunday's series finale. The game off plus Monday's team off day appears to have provided sufficient recovery time for Loftin, who will step back in at third base, where he's been serving as the Royals' primary starter since Maikel Garcia (hand) landed on the injured list. After producing a 1.006 OPS through his first 17 games of June, Loftin went hitless in 14 at-bats over his last four starts before exiting the lineup Sunday.