Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez (calf) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, playing right field and batting cleanup. Velazquez left the team's spring game early on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners with a leg cramp, but he was feeling better on Thursday and is back in action to begin the weekend. The 26-year-old is looking to pick things up at the plate to close out spring training as he tries to win a backup outfield spot out of camp. Coming into Friday's game, he's gone just 2-for-16 in eight Cactus League contests. The Puerto Rican outfielder began last year as the team's designated hitter but didn't last long and was eventually sent to Triple-A Omaha. He hit just .200/.274/.366 with eight home runs, 27 RBI and 61 strikeouts in 64 games played in the big leagues. With not much of a glove and too many strikeouts, he could begin in the minors in 2025.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez (undisclosed) was removed early during Wednesday's spring training contest. The outfielder was removed from the contest after going to a ball near the right field wall. Fantasy managers should monitor his status as the team may opt to keep him sidelined for a few days regardless of the extent of the injury. The 26-year-old is currently competing for a depth spot on the major league roster. Last season, Velazquez appeared in 64 games for the Royals. Across this stint, he went deep eight times and held a .200/.274/.366 slash line. He generated a modest 8.8 percent barrel rate and a 38.1 percent hard-hit rate. However, he held a hefty 26.5 percent strikeout rate. If he were to miss time, this could open the door for Joey Wiemer to have a spot on the Opening Day roster as a depth outfielder.

According to the team, the Kansas City Royals and outfielder Nelson Velazquez have agreed to a contract for the 2025 season. The 26-year-old spent 64 games in the majors last season and will likely compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster during spring training. Across this stint, the 26-year-old held a .200/.274/.366 line with eight home runs and 27 RBI. He struck out at a hefty 26.5% rate. Across three seasons in the majors, the former fifth-round selection hols a .212/.286/.433 line. In 56 games with Triple-A Omaha, Velazquez held .239/.356/.415 slash line with 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 33 RBI. Fantasy managers should expect Velazquez to compete for a starting role during spring training and could be a candidate to see time in right field.

The Kansas City Royals reinstated infielder Michael Massey (back) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and optioned outfielder Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Massey is in the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Miami Marlins and right-hander Roddery Munoz, serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth. The 26-year-old Massey will return from his second IL stint due to back issues after playing in five minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Omaha. He should eventually resume playing nearly every day at the keystone in Kansas City and is worth a roster spot in deep-mixed leagues in an improved Royals lineup after hitting .294 (30-for-102) with six homers and 23 RBI before his second back injury. Velazquez clubbed eight homers in 205 at-bats but hit just .200 with 61 K's in 64 games to earn a trip to the farm.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. After recording only one home run and seven RBI in April, Velazquez found his power stroke in May, with five home runs and 11 RBI recorded. His .221 batting average lies right around his .224 career average, but if you require some power in your lineup, Velazquez is a solid add. His 19 RBI are little to be desired, but he makes for a solid deeper league add especially while he's hitting in the middle of a Royal's lineup that is much improved this season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. After recording only one home run and seven RBI in April, Velazquez found his power stroke in May, with five home runs and 11 RBI recorded. His .221 batting average lies right around his .224 career average, but if you require some power in your lineup, Velazquez is a solid add. His 19 RBI are little to be desired, but he makes for a solid deeper league add especially while he's hitting in the middle of a Royal's lineup that is much improved this season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez had a strong night in Thursday's blowout victory against the Chicago White Sox. The outfielder went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI on the evening. Velazquez was a popular sleeper entering this season with his ability to go yard and he now has two round trippers on the season. In addition to the outfield, Velazquez also has slotted into the designated hitter spot. Although he has big bat ability with his power, he does strikeout a lot. As long as managers are willing to take the good with the bad, he is a fine option in deeper leagues.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Velazquez is on the bench to begin Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan. The former Cub was reported to be the Royals' primary designated hitter for the 2024 season but he is already on the bench following a day off, albeit against a tough right-hander in Ryan. Acquired from the Cubs midway through the 2023 season, Velazquez combined to hit .235 with an impressive 17 homers and an .888 OPS across just 53 games. ATC projects another productive season for the 25-year-old with 23 home runs and six stolen bases in 104 appearances. It appears he will sit out at times against quality right-handers this season, something fantasy managers should keep in mind.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez continued to struggle at the plate in a 6-1 Cactus League loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. The 25-year-old did draw a walk but also went hitless in three trips to the plate as he's now hitting just .172 (5-for-29) with just one extra-base hit, one RBI, and eight strikeouts across 33 trips to the plate. Penciled in as the Royals' designated hitter for 2024, Velazquez hit .235 with a hefty 17 home runs and an .888 OPS across just 53 games between the Royals and Chicago Cubs. While his overall production is projected to drop, Velazquez is still projected to slug 23 home runs with six stolen bases across 102 games played by ATC in the 2024 season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez is not in Monday's starting lineup against the Oakland A's and right-hander Paul Blackburn. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs as part of a trade that sent reliever Jose Cuas to the Windy City, Velazquez has seen solid playing time with the Royals since being brought up on Aug. 10. The 24-year-old has been extremely productive in a small big-league sample, hitting .259 with seven homers and a .961 OPS across 62 plate appearance between the Cubs and Royals this season. He hasn't fared as well at Triple-A, however, as he hit .253 with 16 homers, seven steals, and an .802 OPS in 74 games with Triple-A Iowa before going just 1-for-22 in six games with Triple-A Omaha prior to joining the Royals.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Nelson Velazquez (illness) remains out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants. He was a late scratch on Friday due to a non-COVID related illness. Possibly, the Cubs decided to have him sit out due to the fact a right-hander pitcher is on the mound. Ian Happ, Rafael Ortega and Seiya Suzuki will cover the outfield for the Cubs on Sunday night. The expectation is that Velazquez will return within the next few days.

Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Nelson Velazquez (illness) was scratched from the starting lineup on Friday against the San Francisco Giants with an illness. Velazquez should be considered day-to-day for now. He's struggled in his first 147 major league at-bats this year, slashing .204/.282/.374 with six home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored and four stolen bases. With him under the weather, Michael Hermosillo will start in center field and bat seventh against Giants left-hander Carlos Rodon. Hermosillo should be avoided in DFS formats on Friday in a tough matchup. In 28 at-bats for the Cubbies in 2022, he has just two hits, two RBI, two runs scored and 14 strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Nelson Velazquez is starting in right field and batting ninth on Saturday against St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. The struggling Jason Heyward will begin on the bench. Velazquez has gone 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, three walks, three strikeouts and two runs scored in his first six major league games for the Cubbies. With the Cubs not in contention, the 23-year-old could earn more playing time in the outfield if he continues to produce. The Cubs' No. 16 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, was slashing a combined .241/.332/.527 with an .859 OPS, 15 home runs, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 56 games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa before his call-up, so his power/speed profile could be enticing for those in NL-only and deep-mixed leagues.

The Chicago Cubs will be promoting outfield prospect Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. The 23-year-old has been mashing at Double-A this year with nine home runs and four doubles over 21 games and 91 plate appearances. He has a .279/.374/.696 slash line on the year. Velazquez is ranked as the team's 16th overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. If he continues raking at Triple-A, we could very well see him make his MLB debut this year. However, he has some plate discipline concerns as he has struck out 33 times so far this season and he had 132 whiffs over 103 games at High-A and Double-A in 2021.