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: Reaches 15-homer mark
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.
Velazquez's first-inning blast was all the Royals needed to earn the win. The outfielder has gone a modest 15-for-55 (.273) in September, but seven of his hits have left the yard. He's up to 15 homers, 31 RBI, 30 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases while slashing .244/.313/.622 over 46 contests between the Royals and the Cubs this season. The 24-year-old outfielder's power has helped him earn fairly steady playing time over the last month.
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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: Not starting Game 2
Rotowire
Velazquez isn't in the Royals' lineup for Tuesday's nightcap against the White Sox.
Velazquez went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 1 of Tuesday's twin bill, and he'll get a chance to rest while Dairon Blanco starts in right field with Salvador Perez operating as the Royals' DH.
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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.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Keeps up power binge
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the White Sox.
This was Velazquez's third straight game with a homer, and he's already gone deep four times over six contests in September. The outfielder is 8-for-24 (.333) this month, which has helped him become a near-everyday player in the Royals' lineup. For the year, he's batting .250 and slugging .644 with 12 homers and 23 RBI over 36 games between the Royals and the Cubs.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Smacks another homer
Rotowire
Velazquez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the White Sox.
Velazquez already has three homers in September, which comes after he hit five long balls in his first 17 games with the Royals. The outfielder's power has helped him earn consistent playing time since he was traded from the Cubs. For the season, the 24-year-old has a .250/.306/.630 slash line with 11 homers, 21 RBI, 23 runs scored and five doubles over 108 plate appearances.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Reaches double-digit homers
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored in Monday's 12-1 win over the White Sox.
Velazquez hit a ball 419 feet for his 10th homer (sixth with the Royals) of the season in the fourth inning. The 24-year-old drew his eighth straight start and appears to be gaining the trust of manager Matt Quatraro. Velazquez has hit .250 with three homers, eight RBI and five runs in 28 at-bats over that eight-game span.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Velazquez went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored in Friday's win over Boston.
Velazquez capped off a six-run sixth inning and 13-run game by Kansas City with his ninth homer of the year. He entered Friday in a 3-for-28 skid with just one home run during that span. The 24-year-old now has 13 extra-base hits to go along with an .886 OPS through 91 plate appearances.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Hits bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
Velazquez appears to have inherited the role that Edward Olivares had occupied for Kansas City before being optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 13. Though the righty-hitting Velazquez should play regularly versus southpaws, he'll be more of a part-time option against right-handed pitching. He'll sit for the second time in three games while the Athletics bring righty Adrian Martinez to the hill for the series finale.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Velazquez will sit Saturday against the Cubs.
Velazquez went 0-for-3 in the series opener against his former team Friday and won't get a second chance against the team that dealt him for reliever Jose Cuas at the deadline just yet. Dairon Blanco will start in right field.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Takes seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Velazquez was called up by Kansas City on Thursday and started the past three games, going 4-for-12 with two homers and three RBI. He could see semi-regular playing time going forward following the demotion of Edward Olivares, who leads the club in starts at designated hitter this season.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Velazquez from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
Velazquez will suit up in a Royals uniform for the first time Thursday with a spot on the bench. He was traded from the Cubs on July 31 where the 24-year-old had a .934 OPS through 32 plate appearances. In his six games in Triple-A Omaha, the outfielder tallied one hit in 22 at bats.
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Cubs' Nelson Velazquez: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Velazquez has posted a .933 OPS with three home runs in 13 games with the big club this season but is being sent out in favor of Christopher Morel, who was summoned from Triple-A. Velazquez had started just three of the last nine contests.
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Cubs' Nelson Velazquez: Picks up Sunday's start
Rotowire
Velazquez is starting in right field and batting sixth in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Velazquez will get the start with Seiya Suzuki receiving a day off. Since Suzuki returned to the team in mid-April after recovering from an oblique strain, the Cubs have been pretty set in the outfield with him, Cody Bellinger and Ian Happ as regular starters. That leaves Velazquez as a bench option most days with limited fantasy appeal.
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Cubs' Nelson Velazquez: Launches another home run
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins.
Velazquez was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday with Cody Bellinger hitting the paternity list, but Bellinger was back Friday to play center, so Velazquez got the start at DH. He delivered his third home run in six games to go with an absurd 1.559 OPS, so the Cubs may decide to keep rolling him out there while he's producing so well at the plate.
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Cubs' Nelson Velazquez: Belts homer in win
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-2 win against the Padres.
After Eric Hosmer put Chicago on the board with a homer in the second inning, Velazquez made it back-to-back jacks with a long ball of his own. It was the second dinger of the campaign for Velazquez, who has spent much of his time this season in the minors. He's made his big-league opportunities count, though, as he is slashing .462/.563/1.077 with five RBI and four extra-base hits in just 16 plate appearances.
