Royals make final case for All-Star inclusion in loss to Diamondbacks

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Jul 5, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A few Kansas City Royals players will await their 2025 All-Star fate on Sunday afternoon.

Major League Baseball is set to announce the American League All-Star reserves with a special ESPN telecast beginning at 4 p.m. Central. And the Royals have a handful of players who have earned serious consideration.

Bobby Witt Jr., who finished second for the AL starting nod at shortstop, will likely make his second All-Star appearance.

He may be joined by these names ...

Royals left-handed starter Kris Bubic has a compelling case. He owns a 2.36 ERA in 17 starts and has been the best pitcher in the starting rotation. Infielders Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have been steady all season.

And Royals closer Carlos Estévez has an impressive resume. He is tied for the MLB lead with 24 saves and currently owns a 2.19 ERA.

The Royals had one last chance to make an impression. On Saturday, KC fell, 7-1, to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Witt provided the lone offense with his 48th RBI. He finished 1 for 4 as the Royals mustered four hits against D-backs starter Ryne Nelson.

Nelson pitched like an All-Star through seven innings. He retired the first 16 batters before Royals catcher Freddy Fermin produced a one-out single.

The Royals (42-48) made contact but couldn’t find any holes. Nelson threw 61 of his 86 pitches as fastballs. He challenged the Royals and generated 42 swings and five whiffs.

Meanwhile, KC starter Michael Wacha struggled with free passes. He walked four batters and hit a batter in four innings. The D-backs took advantage of the extra opportunities as Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez recorded RBI singles in the third inning.

Later, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a two-run double down the third base line. Wacha took his ninth loss of the season.

Arizona (44-45) evened the weekend series. The Royals look to secure a winning road trip in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Royals generate defensive highlights

It wasn’t a good day at the plate for the Royals. The club finished 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position and left three runners on base.

However, KC's Nick Loftin and Kyle Isbel were solid in the field. Each made a diving catch to keep the D-backs from extending the lead.

Loftin took away a hit from Gurriel in the second inning. Meanwhile, Isbel came up with a sliding grab to rob pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk in the sixth.

Grichuk hit an inside-the-park home run in his next at-bat.

The Royals nearly had another diving catch. In the seventh inning, Gurriel hit a line drive that bounced off Jac Caglianone’s glove in right field. He ended up at third base and scored on James McCann’s RBI double.

What’s next?

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the D-backs on Sunday afternoon. Michael Lorenzen (4-8, 4.95 ERA) will oppose right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 4.82 ERA) in the afternoon contest.