Fantasy News

• Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Heads to bench Thursday

  Rotowire Apr 25, 2024

  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: Takes seat Tuesday

  Rotowire Apr 23, 2024

  Velazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays. Velazquez is 2-for-21 in his past seven games and will head to the bench for the second time in Kansas City's past three contests. Adam Frazier is batting sixth as the designated hitter Tuesday.

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• Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Records steal Saturday

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Velazquez went 2-for-5 with one RBI, a stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 11-7 win over the Mets. Velazquez was one of six Royals to log multiple hits Saturday. He's known for his power more than his speed -- this was his first steal and attempt since 2022. He's earned a significant role early in 2024, slashing .333/.385/.521 with two home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored and three doubles over 13 contests as the Royals' primary designated hitter.

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• Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Smacks homer in win

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  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 Apr 3, 2024

  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: Launches homer in win

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Velazquez went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Twins. Velazquez singled in the first inning and walked and scored in the second frame before launching a solo homer off of reliever Cole Sands in the bottom of the sixth. The outfielder was making only his second start of the season, but if he can keep producing like he did Sunday, he'll see an uptick in playing time as the season goes on.

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• Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Not in Sunday's lineup

  Rotowire Oct 1, 2023

  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 Sep 28, 2023

  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 Sep 24, 2023

  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 Sep 16, 2023

  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 Sep 12, 2023

  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 Sep 10, 2023

  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 Sep 7, 2023

  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 Sep 6, 2023

  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 Sep 6, 2023

  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 Sep 4, 2023

  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 Sep 1, 2023

  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: Takes seat Tuesday

  Rotowire Aug 15, 2023

  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 Aug 10, 2023

  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 May 8, 2023

  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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