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Series Preview: Blue Jays return home to host red-hot Royals
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 25, 2026, 16:30 EDTUpdated: Aug 25, 2026, 16:22 EDT
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It’s crunch time for the Toronto Blue Jays.
They managed to weather the storm in their recent stretch, going 12-8 facing the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees (two series), and Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays have been playing better, winning seven consecutive series before dropping two of three to the Yankees this past weekend.
After the storm comes the sun, and the Jays begin an “easy” stretch for the remainder of the season. The Blue Jays don’t play a team that currently has a record above .500 for the remainder of the season. Additionally, they have at least one series against five teams who are in the race for the final wild card spot, meaning they still control their destiny.
As easy as their schedule is on paper, baseball is not played on paper, it’s played on grass and dirt. Or in the case of Rogers Centre, turf.
Rogers Centre is where the Blue Jays will play on Tuesday evening, hosting the 58-74 Kansas City Royals. That record is a bit misleading, as the Royals have won eight consecutive games, but are also 22-44 on the road. This will be the first time the Jays face the Royals, the lone American League team they haven’t played in 2026.
Let’s examine the Royals.

Examining the Royals

The Royals may have won eight in a row and nine of their last 10, but this still isn’t a good ball club. They’re coming off a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, also playing the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics in their last 10 games. Wins are wins, but all three teams they faced in this stretch will be contending for the draft lottery rather than a playoff spot.
Of the three teams, the Tigers have the best record (61-70), but still have the seventh-worst record in Major League Baseball despite being four and a half games behind the wild card. They’ve also lost their last six and are 1-9 in their last 10.
The Royals’ offence isn’t the worst, collectively slashing .246/.314/.400 with 136 home runs, good for a 97 wRC+, 19th-best in MLB. Those 136 home runs rank tied for eighth-fewest in MLB, but still well ahead of the Blue Jays’ 124 home runs (tied for second-last). The Royals also don’t strikeout a whole lot, as their 20.9 K% is the sixth-best in the league.
Pitching has hampered the Royals this season. Their rotation has a 4.41 ERA and 4.26 FIP, the 10th and 11th-worst totals in MLB. That’s paired with a 19.5 K%, fourth-worst, and an 8.5 BB%, 11th-worst. Royals starters have given up 88 home runs, which sits in the middle of the pack.
The Royals’ relievers are even worse, somehow. Their bullpen has a 5.21 ERA, second-worst, and a 5.22 FIP, the worst by far. The strikeout woes are still there, with their 18.9 K% ranking tied for second-worst, while their 11.5 BB% is also tied for second-worst in MLB. Royals’ starters don’t give up a bunch of home runs, but the same can’t be said for their relievers, as the bullpen has given up 75 long-balls this season, fourth-worst in MLB.
Essentially, the Blue Jays should be trying to knock the starter out of the game as soon as possible to feast on one of the worst bullpens in MLB.

One player to watch: Jac Caglianone

The bright spot for the Royals this season as been their offence, and even that is below-average. Realistically, only two players hitters standout on the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone. I’ve highlighted the latter as the player to watch.
Witt Jr. is one of the best young players in the league and actually leads Royal hitters with a 127 wRC+, but Caglianone isn’t far behind with a 125 wRC+. The difference comes down to power, as Witt Jr. has hit 16 home runs and Caglianone leads the team with 22 blasts.
The outfielder is slashing .276/.328/.491, but doesn’t draw a whole lot of walks (6.2 BB%) and also strikes out quite a lot, sitting at a 26 K%. Still, Caglianone is a very dangerous hitter and the Jays will need to pitch him and Witt Jr. carefully.

Quick Hits

  • This season, Witt Jr. is slashing .287/.363/.459 with 16 home runs in 499 plate appearances. That’s fourth-best on the Royals, sitting behind Carter Jensen and Salvador Perez. Neither player has a wRC+ above 100, which is considered average. Michael Massey has also hit double-digit home runs, 11.
  •  Remember Luke Maile? The former Blue Jay spent parts of three seasons with the Jays in the late 2010s. Well, the 35-year-old is still kicking it and currently serves as the Royals backup catcher as Perez is serving as the team’s designated hitter.
  • The Jays avoid Michael Wacha and Daniel Lynch IV in this series. Instead, they’ll face the back end of the Royals’ rotation: Seth Lugo on Tuesday, Randy Dobnak on Wednesday, and Noah Cameron on Thursday. Cameron is the best of the bunch in terms of ERA, as it current sits at 4.22, while his season ERA sits at 4.02.
  • Lugo is having one of the worst seasons of his career, authoring a 4.71 ERA and 4.08 FIP in 145.1 innings this season. Dobnak has a 1.58 ERA and 3.70 FIP in 45.2 innings of work, but has just a 14.8 K% and 10.2 BB%.
  • The Royals rotation isn’t great, but at least they have one unlike the Blue Jays. Max Scherzer is set to start on Tuesday, but no starter is named for the final two games. This is in part due to Shane Bieber’s placement on the injured list hours before the series opener. Spencer Arrighetti, Chad Dallas, and Simeon Woods Richardson will have to eat heavy innings this series.

Probable pitchers

Tuesday: Max Scherzer/Seth Lugo
Wednesday: TBD/Randy Dobnak
Thursday: TBD/Noah Cameron

Game times

Tuesday: 7:07 PM ET
Wednesday: 7:07 PM ET
Thursday: 7:07 PM ET
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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