Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup — Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026
Final Lineups
Tampa Bay Rays @ Kansas City Royals · Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026
The Rays have several hitters with positive history against Seth Lugo. Junior Caminero has been particularly effective, going 3-for-6 with a 2.000 OPS. Cedric Mullins also boasts a strong record, with 4 hits in 9 at-bats for a .444 average and a 1.000 OPS. Yandy Díaz is 2-for-10, while Jonathan Aranda is 3-for-9. Victor Mesa Jr. has a 1-for-1 record in 2 plate appearances, and Chandler Simpson is 2-for-6. Taylor Walls is hitless in 1 at-bat across 2 plate appearances, with a .500 OPS, and Richie Palacios is 1-for-6 with a .334 OPS. Hunter Feduccia is 0-for-2.
The Royals lineup features some intriguing matchups against Shane McClanahan. Jac Caglianone has a strong history, going 2-for-3 with a 3.334 OPS. Nick Loftin is also 2-for-3 with a 2.334 OPS, and Tyler Tolbert is 1-for-1 in 2 plate appearances. Bobby Witt Jr. is 1-for-4 in 5 plate appearances with a 1.400 OPS, and Michael Massey is 1-for-3. Salvador Perez is 1-for-10 with a .200 OPS. Lane Thomas is 0-for-4 in 6 plate appearances, Starling Marte is 0-for-3, and Carter Jensen is 0-for-2 in 3 plate appearances.
Takeaway: The away team has more familiar hitters with a longer history against the opposing starter, Seth Lugo, compared to the home team's limited history against Shane McClanahan.
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yandy Díaz | 0.301 | 0.369 | 0.832 | 17 | 69 | 0.200 | 0.800 |
| 2 | Jonathan Aranda | 0.284 | 0.371 | 0.799 | 15 | 75 | 0.333 | 0.777 |
| 3 | Junior Caminero | 0.276 | 0.368 | 0.916 | 35 | 78 | 0.500 | 2.000 |
| 4 | Victor Mesa Jr. | 0.215 | 0.286 | 0.735 | 10 | 22 | 1.000 | 5.000 |
| 5 | Chandler Simpson | 0.306 | 0.335 | 0.698 | 0 | 25 | 0.333 | 0.833 |
| 6 | Cedric Mullins | 0.209 | 0.286 | 0.643 | 13 | 37 | 0.444 | 1.000 |
| 7 | Taylor Walls | 0.218 | 0.307 | 0.607 | 2 | 28 | 0.000 | 0.500 |
| 8 | Richie Palacios | 0.242 | 0.342 | 0.699 | 5 | 36 | 0.167 | 0.334 |
| 9 | Hunter Feduccia | 0.233 | 0.301 | 0.653 | 3 | 13 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lane Thomas | 0.230 | 0.326 | 0.725 | 11 | 39 | 0.000 | 0.333 |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | 0.285 | 0.358 | 0.805 | 13 | 42 | 0.250 | 1.400 |
| 3 | Jac Caglianone | 0.273 | 0.325 | 0.820 | 22 | 58 | 0.667 | 3.334 |
| 4 | Starling Marte | 0.247 | 0.303 | 0.623 | 2 | 14 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 5 | Salvador Perez | 0.216 | 0.262 | 0.631 | 16 | 52 | 0.100 | 0.200 |
| 6 | Carter Jensen | 0.219 | 0.298 | 0.702 | 16 | 55 | 0.000 | 0.333 |
| 7 | Nick Loftin | 0.240 | 0.327 | 0.711 | 5 | 35 | 0.667 | 2.334 |
| 8 | Tyler Tolbert | 0.311 | 0.370 | 0.837 | 3 | 6 | 1.000 | 2.000 |
| 9 | Michael Massey | 0.264 | 0.296 | 0.726 | 10 | 41 | 0.333 | 1.000 |
Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals (2026-07-01). Shane McClanahan vs Seth Lugo at Kauffman Stadium.
Shane McClanahan, the Rays' left-hander, has posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 73.2 innings this season, with a K/9 of 8.92 and a BB/9 of 3.42 over 15 starts. His recent starts show a fluctuating trend, with his ERA moving from 3.86 to 5.00 before settling at 3.91 in his last outing, where he pitched 5 innings of scoreless baseball against the Minnesota Twins. Seth Lugo, the Royals' right-hander, enters with a 4.18 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 90.1 innings in 16 starts, featuring a K/9 of 6.87 and a BB/9 of 2.99. Lugo has been in excellent form recently, with his ERA consistently dropping across his last five starts, culminating in a 1.15 ERA over 7 innings of scoreless baseball against the Baltimore Orioles, indicating strong recent performance.
The Tampa Bay Rays offense has been productive, boasting a 0.735 OPS and scoring 376 runs, supported by a 0.260 batting average and 0.339 on-base percentage. Their pitching staff maintains a solid 3.78 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, allowing 100 home runs this season. The Kansas City Royals offense has a 0.707 OPS and has scored 361 runs, with a 0.244 batting average and 0.315 on-base percentage. The Royals' pitching staff has a higher ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.44, having surrendered 110 home runs.
Recent head-to-head matchups between these two clubs from 2025 show a split, with the Rays winning three consecutive games in late June (4-0, 3-0, 5-1) and the Royals winning three consecutive games in late April/early May (8-2, 3-0, 3-1). The total line for this game is set at 10.5, which appears to be a relatively high number given McClanahan's season ERA of 3.30 and Lugo's recent excellent form, but it also reflects the Royals' higher team ERA and both teams' offensive capabilities.