Kansas City Royals: Alex Rios Is A Lost Cause

Alex Rios has been a disappointing addition to the Kansas City Royals this season to say the least. Texas Rangers fans knew all too well this story.

I was in aisle four of the Staples retail store in Columbia, Missouri, stocking the paper clips, when I got the text message.

A screenshot of a conversation I had with my friend who’s a Texas Rangers fan.

It was from my friend, Thomas, a longtime Texas Rangers fan. He knew the player well, and I probably should have believed him at the time.

The Royals had just signed Alex Rios to a one-year deal, and Thomas promptly warned me about the impending doom that was to come. Being the foolish, hard-headed Royals fan I am, I brushed him off and gave the claim no validity.

The Kansas City Royals needed some offensive power, and I knew that Rios was capable of that, at least in his earlier years.

As far as I knew, he was still a relevant name in the league, and it looked like a decent acquisition for what the Royals could afford. Coupled with Kendrys Morales—Billy Butler‘s replacement–I thought, ‘alright, the Royals are in good shape this year.’

While I am not one to advocate for giving up on certain players, I’m afraid the Kansas City Royals have come to that bridge, and it’s time to cross it.

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Fast forward six months later, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Despite a hot start, Rios has struggled since returning from the DL in June. Rios was boasting a .321/.345/.464 slash line seven games into the season before suffering a fractured wrist that sent him to the DL.

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Since Rios has returned, he’s hitting just .207/.234/.223 and hasn’t been very impressive in the outfield, either. Ned Yost has moved him up and down in the lineup in an attempt to help spark a little life in the 34 year-old, but nothing has worked thus far.

The Royals didn’t have much depth in the outfield before Alex Gordon‘s injury, and now that Jarrod Dyson will be seeing more playing time–most likely in a platoon with Paulo Orlando—Alex Rios is going to get a ton of playing time in right field.

While I am not one to advocate for giving up on certain players, I’m afraid the Kansas City Royals have come to that bridge, and it’s time to cross it. Rios hasn’t shown much of anything since returning from the DL, and at this point is only a thorn in the side of the Royals offense.

While the All-Star break could give Rios some time to collect himself and figure out a new strategy, the Royals can’t afford for a guy to spend multiple months figuring himself out. They’re on a great pace right now (as of July 10th), sitting in first place and 4.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.

The last thing the team needs is a second half meltdown catalyzed by a guy like Rios. I hate admitting I’m wrong, but in this case, I was. Despite the history of the team, the Kansas City Royals can’t seem to find a way to revive Rios, and it’s time to move on.

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Unfortunately, they seem to be stuck with him. As I said, Dyson and Orlando will most likely split time in left field as Gordon’s replacement, and I don’t know that Orlando offers anything better than Rios for him to become his full time replacement. While the Royals could trade for a power hitting outfielder, that would mean giving up yet another top prospect, and we all know how that usually turns out.

As the old saying goes, the Royals are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and don’t have many options. If Gordon was still playing, I’d say Dyson would be a good replacement for Rios, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. For now, the team has to tough it out, and just hope that maybe Omar Infante can start making some waves.

Anything is possible, after all.

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