SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Royals emphasize versatility, and it was in play again Tuesday. Michael Massey returned to second base, Nick Loftin started at third and Maikel Garcia opened in center field.
"We have to be ready for all kinds of contingencies, if somebody gets hurt or we feel we can put our best nine out there,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said.
All three figure into that thinking. A career second baseman, Massey has taken reps in left field this spring after the acquisition of Jonathan India. Loftin is aware of his role -- basically, be ready for anything.
Massey had three hits, including an RBI single and a sun-field double, in the Royals¡¯ 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields on Tuesday, Loftin beat out an infield single and potential Opening Day starter Cole Ragans struck out five in four scoreless innings.
Massey is looking to build on a 2024 season in which he had 14 homers and a career-high .743 OPS despite being limited to 100 games because of lower back strain that forced him to start the season on the injured list and did not fully clear until June 24.
Massey¡¯s home run rate was a career high and his strikeout rate was a career low last season, and he said he is focused on maintaining that consistency with his line-drive approach. It starts with the basics.
¡°The big thing is just swinging at good pitches,¡± Massey said. ¡°Over the course of a season, things are going to go up and down mechanically and physically, but every day you come to the park and just try to get good pitches to hit. Throughout the year, if you swing at good pitches, you are going to have pretty good results.¡±
To help with that, Massey has taken advantage of the Trajekt system that the Royals have in their Spring Training complex and will be available when they return to Kansas City. Trajekt uses a projection screen and software technology to mimic the delivery and repertoire of every Major League pitcher.
¡°It¡¯s a good way to get extra reps without having pitchers throw to you,¡± Massey said. ¡°A little more game-like.¡±
More looks, more recognition. It can lead to something as seemingly small as laying off a borderline 1-0 pitch to get into a hitters' count. Massey hit .350 on 2-1 counts last season and .211 on 1-2 counts, in line with the Major League averages (.331 and .164, respectively).
¡°Just trying to emphasize the fundamentals of that,¡± Massey said. ¡°Last year at times, I expanded my zone.¡±
Massey has played second base almost exclusively in his three Major League seasons, but he is taking reps in left field this spring with India in camp. India also is primarily a second baseman, but he played third Monday.
¡°I view Massey as a really great hitter overall,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°Those are small adjustments that he might be trying to make. That¡¯s not something that is an overhaul from my standpoint.¡±
Loftin returned to the lineup Tuesday after a disjointed week. He was a precautionary scratch last weekend because of right wrist soreness and was among those dealing with the flu.
A 2020 first-round MLB Draft pick, Loftin had his first extended stay in the Majors last season, when he hit .189 with a .282 on-base percentage in 57 games, numbers that did not reflect his Minor League success.
Like Massey, he believes strike-zone management is a key.
¡°Trying to be a little more consistent with my swing, trying to keep it as simple as possible,¡± Loftin said. ¡°Getting the pitches that I know I can drive and taking the ones I know I can¡¯t.¡±
Loftin makes contact. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has been close to 1:1 in his last two seasons, and he walked 56 times compared to 61 strikeouts between Triple-A Omaha and the Majors last season.
He is working this season on improving his quality of contact, after his hard-hit percentage (26.0%) and exit velocity (83.6 mph) dipped from 2023 (35.3% and 86.3 mph, respectively).
¡°It¡¯s more now consistently hard contact,¡± he said. ¡°More line-drive approach. Not really trying to hit for power. If it happens, it happens. But for me, it is trying to get on base for guys like [Bobby Witt Jr.], Vinnie [Pasquantino] and [Salvador Perez].
¡°That¡¯s the biggest thing for me, understanding that. That¡¯s going to be my role, and to have those guys score me. My job is to get on base and make it a tough out for other teams. Sometimes you stray away from it, but you have to get back to your roots.¡±
Loftin played every infield position but shortstop last season and also took a turn in left field. He played center field extensively in the Minors in 2022.