Kyle

Isbel

Not good. Isbel was already placed on the 10-day injured list, but it sounds likely he will miss more than just the minimum amount of time. Kameron Misner and Lane Thomas could form a platoon in center field in Isbel’s absence.

Isbel receives some additional time off following an early exit from Tuesday’s contest against the Rangers. It’s worth noting that plantar fasciitis is a complicated injury that only really improves with rest and maintenance. There’s a chance Isbel is out for a while.

Isbel was 1-for-2 with a walk before being replaced by pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert in the seventh inning.

Isbel was unusually productive over the first month of the season, but he’s settled back in at .203/.246/.271 during May. It seems unlikely that the Royals will upgrade in center field this year, but he’s going to need to pick it up if he expects to return in 2027.

Isbel came up clutch twice for the Royals in this one. He singled to drive in Michael Massey from second in the eighth inning to cut the Tigers’ lead to 3-2, and drove in Nick Loftin with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Royals the win. Isbel continues to be a steady option for the Royals at the bottom of their order, and is now slashing .283/.351/.424 on the season. While he’s a reliable option for the Royals, fantasy managers can continue to leave him on waivers.

After falling behind 3-0 in the third inning and staring down the barrel of their ninth straight loss, the Royals put together a scrappy comeback built on wild pitches and sacrifice flies to scratch and claw their way to a win. Isbel started their first game-tying rally with a double in the fifth inning and then scored the run that briefly put them ahead in the seventh. For as bad as this Royals lineup has been thus far, Isbel has been a spark plug out of the nine spot with a .276/.333/.431 slash line.

Isbel went 8-for-14 with two homers in his first four games and then 4-for-13 with a double in his next four games. Since then, however, he’s 1-for-26 in 11 games. His OPS is down to .675, though that’s still a little better than what he did any of the last four years (.603, .662, .654 and .654 again).

It’s notable mostly because Isbel often sits against left-handers, but with a .429/.467/.679 batting line in his first 31 plate appearances, the Royals will see if he can stay hot rather than turning to Starling Marte against LHP Anthony Kay.

Isbel settled for just four homers in 135 games last season, but he’s already on the board this year after taking Simeon Woods Richardson deep. And it even came with a man on base! Isbel hit a respectable .272/.314/.386 with the bases empty last year, but that dropped all of the way to .229/.279/.300 with runners on. It’s been an issue throughout his career, which is why he entered the day with just 144 career RBI in 1,516 plate appearances over 498 games.

Isbel had an under-the-radar solid year in 2025, hitting .255/.301/.353 while playing good outfield defense for the Royals. He did hit just four home runs and steal four bases, so he’s not much of a fantasy asset, but he’s a solid fourth outfield option in Kansas City.