The Royals optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
Velazquez was hitting just .122/.240/.171 in June and had seen his playing time dry up, so the Royals have elected to send him down to the minors with the hope that he can get on track at the plate. Expect Freddy Fermin to continue seeing an uptick in playing time with Velazquez now at Omaha.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Back in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Velazquez will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's series finale against the Rangers.
Velazquez was originally slated to sit for the fourth consecutive game Sunday, but he was inserted into the lineup after Adam Frazier was scratched due to a right thumb sprain he sustained in Saturday's 6-0 loss. Velazquez will look to take advantage of the opportunity as he faces off against the returning Max Scherzer on Sunday.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Sitting again Saturday
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Texas.
Velazquez will be out of the lineup Saturday for the third straight game. The lefty-hitting Vinnie Pasquantino will serve as the designated hitter and bat third against Rangers right-hander Jon Gray.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Absent from lineup again
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Rangers.
The hot-hitting Freddy Fermin will make a second straight start at designated hitter. Velazquez has just a .401 OPS so far in June and has now been absent from the starting lineup for seven of 18 games this month.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
This marks the second absence in three days for Velazquez, who has struggled to a .129/.256/.194 slash line so far this month. His overall OPS is down more than 200 points from a year ago. He could see his playing time squeezed further in the short term due to Salvador Perez needing time at designated hitter to combat a knee injury.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Getting breather Friday
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.
After starting in each of the Royals last four games, Velazquez will get the day off Friday. Adam Frazier will DH and bat fifth while Drew Waters handles right field and bats eighth.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Out of lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mariners.
Velazquez will get a breather Sunday after going 1-for-7 with two RBI and two walks over the first two games of the series. Salvador Perez will serve as the designated hitter Sunday, while Freddy Fermin starts behind home plate.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Velazquez had started seven of the last eight contests but will begin this one on the bench. Salvador Perez will be the designated hitter, Hunter Renfroe will start in right field and Freddy Fermin will be at catcher.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Absent from lineup again
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Brewers.
It's the second straight day on the bench for Velazquez, who is in a 2-for-32 tailspin at the plate. He served as a pinch-hitter in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers and will be available off the bench Monday. Adam Frazier will serve as the Royals' designated hitter, and Kansas City could continue to rotate a number of players at that spot in the lineup while Velazquez has seemingly lost hold of an everyday role.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Sitting again
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.
Velazquez has been less and less of an everyday option for the Royals as the team continues to trot out lineups with Salvador Perez as first base, Vinnie Pasquantino at DH and Freddy Fermin behind the dish. Velazquez hasn't done much to warrant an everyday role after starting the season red hot, managing just one hit in his last 27 at-bats.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.
Velazquez will begin Saturday's game on the bench with the Tigers sending out right-hander Casey Mize. Velazquez is hitless over his last six games and has reached base twice on walks over that span. Lefty-hitting Adam Frazier will start at DH and bat fifth in the lineup Saturday.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Heads to bench Thursday
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.
With the Royals looking to give Vinnie Pasquantino a day out of the field and Salvador Perez a day off behind the plate in the series finale, Velazquez will be a casualty from the Kansas City lineup. Pasquantino will serve as the Royals' designated hitter in Velazquez's stead, while Perez takes over Pasquantino's usual spot at first base.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Smacks homer in win
Rotowire
Velazquez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the White Sox.
Velazquez provided the Royals' early offense with an RBI single in the second inning and a solo shot in the fourth. The 25-year-old has some interesting power -- he's already swatted two homers through five games this season after hitting 17 in 53 contests a year ago. Velazquez is batting .294 with a 2:7 BB:K, three RBI and four runs scored over 19 plate appearances. The Royals are making sure he's not a full-time player against right-handed pitchers early on, though he could force his way to that kind of role if he continues to hit well.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Velazquez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Baltimore.
With ace right-hander Corbin Burnes toeing the slab for the Orioles, it's not a bad time for the Royals to give the right-handed-hitting Velazquez a day off. Vinnie Pasquantino will serve as the designated hitter Wednesday, while Salvador Perez will cover first base and Freddy Fermin will handle catching duties.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Velazquez is not in Sunday's lineup against the Yankees.
Velazquez hit .244 with nine home runs, 17 runs and 20 RBI over 23 games in a huge month of September. It would seem that he played well enough down the stretch to enter 2024 as a regular in the middle of the Royals' lineup.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Tigers.
It's a routine day off for Velazquez, who had started each of the previous 11 contests for the Royals. Drew Waters will occupy right field Thursday while Edward Olivares serves as the designated hitter.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Goes deep twice
Rotowire
Velazquez went 2-for-3 with two solo homers in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Astros.
Velazquez tallied the first Royals run of the game with his 380-foot homer off Hunter Brown in the second inning. He wasn't done for the day, as he cranked a 396-foot solo shot the next inning, again off Brown. Velazquez has been on a torrid power tear lately, hitting five home runs over his past nine games. The former Cub is slashing .239/.313/.632 with 14 homers, 25 runs and 27 RBI over 36 games since joining the Royals.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Smacks homer in win
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-2 win over the Astros.
He's not seeing a full-time role in September, but Velazquez has made the most of his playing time with five homers over his last 11 games. He's hitting .289 this month, which has gotten him up to a .246/.305/.619 slash line with 13 homers, 24 RBI, 25 runs scored and five doubles over 41 games between the Royals and Cubs. Velazquez should continue to see a bit more than a typical platoon role while filling in at designated hitter and the corner outfield spots.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Gets breather Sunday
Rotowire
Velazquez is absent from the lineup Sunday at Toronto.
This looks to be a routine day of rest for Velazquez, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Saturday's loss to the Blue Jays but still boasts a .916 OPS across his first 87 plate appearances with Kansas City. Edward Olivares is filling the DH role Sunday as Drew Waters patrols right field.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Velazquez showed plenty of power over the course of his minor-league career, but he never got much of an opportunity in a Cubs organization that clearly just saw him as a spare part. The Royals have made him a fixture in their lineup, though, and he's responded with nine home runs in 23 games, including four in six already this month. The exit velocities, whether the 91.3 mph average or the 111.4 max, certainly back up the production, and the 25.9 percent strikeout rate has been a pleasant surprise for a guy who struck out more than 30 percent of the time over his minor-league career. Maybe that's smoke and mirrors and major-league pitchers ultimately do get the better of him, but if you're looking to make up ground in home runs in a five-outfielder Rotisserie league, it's time to take notice of Velazquez.
