Is it too late for the Royals offense to turn around?
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is no stranger to rough stretches, and 2026 has been full of them.
The 26-year-old is coming off a breakout 2025 campaign where he earned his first All-Star selection, won a Gold Glove at third base, and took home WBC MVP honors earlier this year after leading Venezuela to its first championship.
That kind of year raises the bar, and so far the early returns in Kansas City have not matched the expectations that followed.
What Garcia Said
After the Royals dropped Monday's series opener to the Washington Nationals 7-3 and fell to 29-44 on the season, Garcia spoke about the offense's inability to hold leads and close out games.
"It's hard when you come back and then they come back," Garcia said. "But you have to keep going. We've been hitting the ball good. We have the confidence that we can come back from any score."
The words carry weight coming from one of the team's leaders, even if the results have not backed them up.
Kansas City sits in last place in the AL Central and has been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball through the first half of the season.
Where Garcia Stands in 2026
On a personal level, Garcia has been one of the steadier bats in a Royals lineup that has struggled for consistency.
Through 66 games he is hitting .267 with a .705 OPS, which is roughly league average but a clear step back from the .286/.800 slash he posted during his All-Star campaign a year ago.
The power has dipped as well, with just three home runs compared to the 16 he hit in 2025, and his stolen base numbers have slowed from 23 to five.
The defense remains elite, but the bat has not carried the same force.
Why the Royals Offense Keeps Falling Short
Garcia's belief in the lineup aside, the bigger picture has been ugly.
Kansas City has scored just 291 runs this season and ranks near the bottom of baseball in overall production, sitting 29th in OPS with runners in scoring position.
The opportunities they create are not turning into runs, and the margin for error has gotten even thinner now that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is out after surgery for a fractured hamate bone that could sideline him for up to six weeks.
The road struggles tell the same story.
Kansas City is 7-20 away from Kauffman Stadium, and the team's first road series win since early May against Cincinnati felt more like an outlier than a sign of progress.
What Comes Next
Garcia is right that the team has no choice but to keep going.
Two more games in Washington remain before the Royals head home, and the second half will only matter if the offense starts finishing what it starts.
The confidence Garcia talks about will need to show up in the box score soon, because at 29-44, time and patience are both running thin.
