Orioles Place Tyler O’Neill On 10-Day IL, Designate Kyle Gibson
The Orioles have placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list due to a left shoulder impingement, and designated right-hander Kyle Gibson for assignment. Outfielder Dylan Carlson and right-hander Kade Strowd were called up from Triple-A in the corresponding roster moves.
After signing a three-year, $49.5MM free agent deal this past winter, the early days of O’Neill’s tenure in Baltimore have been marked by injuries and a subpar performance at the plate. This is already his second IL trip, as he previously missed a couple of weeks due to neck soreness in late April and early May. It is fair to wonder if these health issues have led to O’Neill’s modest .188/.280/.325 slash line and two home runs over 93 plate appearances, as O’Neill just hasn’t looked like himself this year.
Being hampered by injuries has been a frequent subplot of O’Neill’s eight-year MLB career, as the outfielder has only twice topped the 100-game mark in a season. One of those comparatively healthier seasons came with the Red Sox in 2024, as O’Neill made 473 PA over 113 games and hit .241/.336/.511 with 31 home runs. O’Neill hit the IL on three separate occasions but with a minimal amount of missed time, which allowed O’Neill plenty of opportunity to mash at Fenway Park.
The O’s were impressed enough to bring O’Neill aboard in what was the most expensive signing of Baltimore’s offseason, yet like so many other moves in what is becoming a Murphy’s Law year for the Orioles, O’Neill has yet to deliver much at the plate. Given how much criticism was directed at the front office and at ownership for not spending over the winter, the struggles of one of the players who did receive a healthy contract has only added to the discord of the Orioles’ 15-29 start.
Gibson was another offseason signing, though he joined the O’s just a week before Opening Day on a one-year, $5.25MM contract. The Cardinals declined their $12MM club option on Gibson’s services for the 2025 season, sending the veteran starter into the open market for what ended up being an extended stay. Since he didn’t have a proper Spring Training, Gibson agreed to begin the season in the minors so he could ramp up, but it seems like the right-hander is still showing plenty of rust.
Called up to the Orioles’ roster in late April, Gibson has been tagged for a 16.78 ERA over four starts and 12 1/3 innings. The ugly numbers include six runs allowed in just two-thirds of an inning in yesterday’s start, which ended up as a 10-6 Orioles loss to the Nationals.
Gibson was blunt about his lack of performance when speaking with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other media yesterday, saying “four times taking the mound feeling like you haven’t given the team a chance to win each time is a pretty big gut punch. Feeling like you’re part of getting a manager fired is a gut punch. Just not going out there and being able to compete and give the team a chance to win every five days is frustrating. So yeah, I don’t know if any of you guys have ever felt the feeling of essentially letting down your co-workers, but it’s a gut punch.”
The DFA doesn’t necessarily mean that Gibson’s time in Baltimore is over. Since there is no chance another team will claim the right-hander (and assume the rest of his salary) off waivers, Gibson could accept an outright assignment to Triple-A to give himself more time to get on track. Gibson also has more than enough MLB service time to decline an outright assignment, which would allow him to retain his salary and re-enter free agency again.
Strowd is now back with the Orioles for the second time within the last month, though the right-hander has yet to officially make his Major League debut with an in-game appearance. A 12th-round pick for Baltimore in the 2019 draft, Strowd’s minor league numbers aren’t great, as he has only a 6.99 ERA over 56 2/3 career frames at the Triple-A level. That performance does come with a 31.02% strikeout rate and grounder rates that frequently top the 50% mark, but also a 12.41% walk rate.
Despite the rough bottom-line results, the Orioles were intrigued enough by Strowd’s ability to miss bats to add him to the 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. This latest call-up should at least allow the righty to get a big league appearance on his resume, and given Baltimore’s pitching needs, there’s plenty of opportunity for Strowd to stick if he pitches decently well during however long he remains on the roster.
Rangers Place Evan Carter On 10-Day Injured List
The Rangers placed outfielder Evan Carter on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 17) due to a right quad strain. Fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar has been activated from his own stint on the 10-day IL to take Carter’s place on the active roster. Texas also made two more roster moves, optioning right-hander Cole Winn to Triple-A and calling up righty Caleb Boushley.
Carter has a Grade 2 quad strain, as manager Bruce Bochy told the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland and other reporters. This means that Carter’s absence will stretch well beyond the 10-day minimum and he is likely facing several weeks or even months on the sidelines. The injury apparently surfaced yesterday, as Carter was a late scratch from the Rangers’ starting lineup for their game with the Astros.
The quad strain continues Carter’s injury-riddled pro career. Carter missed a good deal of the 2021 minor league season and most of the 2024 MLB season due to back problems, and arm problems also kept him on the minor league IL for about a month in 2023. Carter did get healthy in time to make his big league debut in September 2023, and he quickly lived up to his top-prospect status by tearing up the league in both the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason, as Texas went on to win the World Series.
Just when it looked like Carter was a breakout star, however, his bad back limited him to 45 games of action in 2024. He began this season in the minors and was recalled a couple of weeks ago for his 2025 debut, and Carter has hit only .182/.270/.273 in 37 plate appearances before going on the IL.
In part due to concerns over Carter’s health following his lost 2024 campaign, the Rangers added Pillar as a depth option on a minor league contract back in January. Pillar made the Opening Day roster and hit .237/.237/.289 over 38 PA before going on the injured list due to lower back inflammation earlier this month. He’ll return to the roster after missing 15 days of action.
Brewers Select Easton McGee, Option Tobias Myers
The Brewers announced three roster moves today, including the selection of Easton McGee‘s contract from Triple-A Nashville. To create space for McGee on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Milwaukee optioned right-hander Tobias Myers to Triple-A, and moved lefty Connor Thomas from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
McGee has appeared in two Major League games during his pro career, pitching once apiece in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. That resume would’ve likely been a lot longer if it hadn’t been for a Tommy John surgery in May 2023 that ended up costing him the remainder of that season and most of 2024. The Brewers signed McGee to a two-year minor league deal following the 2023 campaign that allowed him time to recover from his surgery, and his mound work last year consisted of 33 1/3 innings in Milwaukee’s farm system.
Now more fully back to good health, McGee has a 3.44 ERA across 18 1/3 innings with Triple-A Nashville in 2025. His 25.3% strikeout rate is solid but his 11.4% walk rate is on the high side, and significantly higher than McGee’s much better control numbers over the rest of his minor league career.
McGee has worked only as a reliever this season but has a few multi-inning outings under his belt, so he can add a fresh arm and some length to Milwaukee’s pen. The Brewers used five different pitchers in Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Twins, with starting pitcher Myers allowing four runs on 11 hits over just 3 2/3 innings of work.
After an impressive 2024 rookie season, Myers was optioned to Triple-A last week but then quickly recalled after Jose Quintana went on the Brewers’ IL. The turn-around maybe didn’t help matters given Saturday’s results, and Myers now has a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings in 2025. Today’s transaction probably paves the way for Myers to receive a bit of an extended stretch at Triple-A so he can get himself back on track in preparation for another recall later in the season.
Thomas was selected away from the Cardinals in last December’s Rule 5 draft, but the southpaw pitched just 5 2/3 innings over two appearances before elbow arthritis sent him to the IL in early April. The shift to the 60-day IL means that Thomas will now be out of action until at least the first week of June. Thomas would have to spend at least 90 days on the Brewers’ active roster for Milwaukee to gain his full rights, or else otherwise his Rule 5 status would carry over into the 2026 season.
Twins Place Danny Coulombe On 15-Day IL, Call Up Zebby Matthews
The Twins announced four roster moves this morning, including the news that left-hander Danny Coulombe was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left forearm extensor strain. Between Coulombe’s placement and yesterday’s placement of Byron Buxton on the seven-day concussion IL, Minnesota filled those two open roster spots by (as expected) selecting the contract of outfielder Carson McCusker and calling up right-hander Zebby Matthews from Triple-A. Matthews will get the start today in the Twins’ game against the Brewers. To open up a 40-man roster spot for McCusker, infielder Luke Keaschall was shifted from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
Coulombe hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, so it would seem that the southpaw’s forearm issue may have been lingering for a few days. As scary as any forearm-related injury seems, Coulombe might miss only a few weeks or a relatively short amount of time if he has only suffered a minor strain. More will be known about Coulombe’s situation or recovery timeline will likely be revealed when manager Rocco Baldelli briefs the media later today.
Coulombe underwent a Tommy John surgery way back in 2011 during his college days at Texas Tech, and he had a more recent elbow issue just last June when he had bone spurs removed. That latter procedure cost Coulombe almost three and a half months of the 2024 season, though he was able to make it back to the Orioles’ roster for a few appearances in late September.
Baltimore still opted to decline its $4MM club option on Coulombe for the 2025 season, and the 35-year-old then entered free agency and signed a one-year, $3MM pact with Minnesota. That deal has proven to be one of the more underrated moves of the entire offseason, as Coulombe has been nothing short of excellent — the lefty has yet to allow a run over his 16 2/3 innings, and he has a stellar 31.7% strikeout rate and 3.3% walk rate. A perfect strand rate and a .205 BABIP hint at some regression, but even those metrics boost Coulombe’s SIERA to only a still-superb 2.18.
This great year has now unfortunately been interrupted by injury, and Kody Funderburk is now the only healthy left-hander in Minnesota’s bullpen. Anthony Misiewicz, Richard Lovelady, and Brady Feigl are at Triple-A if the Twins wanted to add another southpaw, but none of those pitchers are on the 40-man roster. The Twins’ bullpen has been so good this season that they may be able to get by with just one lefty if Coulombe doesn’t miss too much time, but obviously losing Coulombe is a hit to the club’s relief corps.
Simeon Woods Richardson was optioned to Triple-A earlier this week, opening up a spot in Minnesota’s rotation and giving Matthews another crack in the big leagues. One of the Twins’ top pitching prospects, Matthews made his MLB debut in 2024 to mixed results, as he has a 6.69 ERA over 37 2/3 innings. Despite some respectable secondary numbers (24.3% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate), Matthews was undone by the long ball, as he surrendered 11 home runs in his brief time on the Twins’ roster.
Matthews had only 19 innings of Triple-A experience in 2024, but he has looked good during a slightly more extended stint in St. Paul this year. Matthews has a 1.93 ERA, 28.1K%, and 6.7BB% in 32 2/3 Triple-A frames in 2025, with just a lone home run allowed. Getting anything remotely close to this production would be a huge help for the Twins this year and it would reinforce Matthews’ status as a future rotation building block going forward.
Speaking of highly-touted prospects, Keaschall had an 1.065 OPS over his first 26 career Major League plate appearances before he suffered a fractured forearm after being hit by a pitch. Keaschall was put onto the 15-day IL at the end of April and it was just a matter of time before he was shifted to the 60-day, as the infielder is expected to need multiple months to recover.
Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw
May 17: The Dodgers have activated Kershaw, as expected. Right-hander Ryan Loutos was optioned to the minor leagues to make room for Kershaw on the active roster, while southpaw Blake Snell was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster. Given that Snell has already been on the shelf for nearly six weeks and has only recently resumed a throwing program, Snell’s transfer is largely a procedural move that does not necessarily indicate a change in his timetable for return.
May 13: Clayton Kershaw will make his season debut against the Angels on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts tells reporters (including David Vassegh of 570 Sports). The Dodgers will need to activate him from the 60-day injured list.
Kershaw opened the season on the 60-day IL as he recovers from offseason surgeries on his left knee and left foot. He has made five minor league rehab starts going back to April 16. He’s combined for a 2.57 ERA across 21 innings. Kershaw reached six innings in an appearance for the team’s complex affiliate on May 6. He threw four frames and 57 pitches during his most recent start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.
The future Hall of Famer signed an incentive-laden contract for what will be his 18th MLB season. While he’s only guaranteed $7.5MM, the deal contains $8.5MM in incentives depending on his workload. He’d unlock a $1MM bonus for making his 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th starts. The deal also contains roster bonuses. He’ll collect an additional $2.5MM for reaching 30 days on the active roster, $1MM for 60 days, and $1MM for 90 days.
Kershaw was limited to seven starts last season. He missed the first few months recovering from the shoulder procedure that he’d undergone late in 2023. Bone spurs in his foot sent him back to the injured list at the end of August. Kershaw wasn’t able to return for the World Series run. He finished the year with a 4.50 ERA across 30 innings.
In other Dodger rotation news, Roberts said that Roki Sasaki reported some arm soreness coming out of his start on Friday (via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). The team has not decided whether it’ll require an IL stint. Sasaki has gotten out to a rocky start to his MLB career. He has only completed six innings in one of his first eight outings. He has yet to record more than four strikeouts in a game and carries a 4.72 ERA with very poor strikeout and walk rates.
If Sasaki avoids the IL, Kershaw could push the Dodgers back to a six-man rotation. Injuries to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have dropped them to a five-man staff comprising Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Sasaki, and Landon Knack.
Twins Place Byron Buxton On Concussion IL
The Twins are placing center fielder Byron Buxton on the 7-day concussion-related injured list, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. A corresponding roster move won’t be announced officially until tomorrow, though Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests that outfielder Carson McCusker is traveling to Milwaukee to join the club. Nightengale adds that McCusker is expected to be added to the roster tomorrow, though he’s not yet on the 40-man roster and a corresponding move will be necessary in order for him to replace Buxton.
The decision to place Buxton on the shelf isn’t exactly a surprise given that he collided with shortstop Carlos Correa earlier this week, sending both players to the ground and forcing them both to leave the game. Correa was placed on the concussion IL yesterday, and though Buxton initially remained in concussion protocol he’ll now join Correa on the shelf today. Ryan Fitzgerald was added to the Twins’ roster to replace Correa, but Brooks Lee has taken over shortstop in his absence while DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has filled in for Buxton in center.
Losing Buxton is a particularly harsh blow for the Twins because the oft-injured star has been very healthy to this point in the year. After posting a 142 wRC+ last year while crossing the 100 games played threshold for just the second time in his MLB career, Buxton had played in 41 of the club’s 44 games when the collision occurred while hitting an impressive .261/.312/.522 (130 wRC+) in that time. That star-level offensive production in conjunction with Buxton’s elite defense in center field makes him one of the league’s most valuable players when healthy, but now the Twins will have to figure things out without him for at least the next week.
For however long Buxton is out of commission, it seems the club will turn to McCusker for help in the outfield. Just days shy of his 27th birthday, McCusker has not yet made his MLB debut. A 26th-round pick by the Brewers all the way back in 2017, he ultimately did not sign with the club and played college ball before going undrafted and spending parts of three seasons with the Tri-City Valley Cats of the independent Frontier League. The Twins pried him away from indy ball in 2023 and he’s done nothing but hit since then, with a career .290/.358/.528 slash line in the minors that includes a dazzling .350/.412/.650 performance across 154 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
While McCusker is getting a late start to his big league career after taking an unusual path to the majors, those titanic numbers in the minors make it hard to deny that he’s ready for an opportunity at the sport’s highest level. A right-handed outfielder, perhaps McCusker can share time in an outfield spot with Keirsey while Harrison Bader and Trevor Larnach continue to hold down everyday spots in the Twins’ outfield mix. While Bader’s 146 wRC+ and Larnach’s 109 wRC+ this year are both good enough that a reduction in playing time seems unlikely, Keirsey has hit just .116/.116/.186 so far this year. A strong performance from McCusker could be enough to give him a leg up over Keirsey for the fourth outfield job when Buxton eventually returns to the roster, particularly considering that his right-handed bat would be a better complement for the lefty-swinging Larnach.
Pirates Activate Spencer Horwitz
May 17: Horwitz is being activated for today’s game, as manager Don Kelly told reporters (including Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) this afternoon. First baseman and outfielder Matt Gorski is being optioned to the minor leagues in a corresponding move.
May 16, 11:46am: Horwitz won’t be active for tonight’s game but will be reinstated later during this weekend series, Hiles further reports.
May 16, 11:09am: First baseman Spencer Horwitz will join the Pirates in Philadelphia and be active for this weekend’s series against the Phillies, reports Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It’ll be the Pirates debut for Horwitz, whom Pittsburgh acquired in the offseason.
Horwitz, 27, came to the Bucs in what was effectively a three-team trade. The Blue Jays traded Horwitz and outfield prospect Nick Mitchell to the Guardians in exchange for infielder Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin. Just a couple hours later, the Guardians sent Horwitz to the Pirates in exchange for righty Luis Ortiz and pitching prospects Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.
In Horwitz, the Pirates hope to be acquiring a controllable first baseman who could provide a boost to their lineup. He may prove to be that, but his first crack at doing so was delayed by February wrist surgery that has prevented him from taking the field thus far.
Horwitz has played in parts of two major league seasons with Toronto and hit well the entire time he’s been in the majors. In 425 plate appearances, he’s a .264/.355/.428 batter. He’s shown a similar OBP-over-power approach in the upper minors, slashing .316/.429/.471 in 978 plate appearances with the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Horwitz was largely blocked from playing time at first base in Toronto thanks to the presence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., so the Jays tried him briefly at second base and in left field.
No such shuffling will be necessary in Pittsburgh, where Pirates first basemen have combined to post an anemic .192/.259/.340 slash so far in 2025 (64 wRC+). That production — or lack thereof — comes via the quartet of Enmanuel Valdez, Matt Gorski, Endy Rodriguez and Jared Triolo. Horwitz should have a clear runway to take the everyday first base job in Pittsburgh. If he’s able to do so, the Pirates can control him for five additional seasons beyond the current year. He’d be arbitration-eligible as a Super Two player in the 2027-28 offseason.
White Sox Outright Jacob Amaya
TODAY: Amaya has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Sox Machine’s James Fegan.
MAY 16: The White Sox announced Friday morning that infielder Jacob Amaya has been designated for assignment. He’ll be the corresponding roster move for Chicago’s previously reported acquisition of reliever Miguel Castro. The Sox also added infielder Vinny Capra, whom they claimed off waivers from the Brewers, to their active roster. Left-hander Jared Shuster was optioned to Triple-A to clear a second roster spot.
Amaya, 26, originally came to the White Sox via waivers last August. He was briefly jettisoned from the 40-man roster in January and claimed by the Orioles. The South Siders claimed Amaya back from Baltimore two weeks later when the O’s tried to pass him through waivers themselves.
Amaya is regarded as a gifted defender but offers little with the bat. He’s appeared in 56 games with the ChiSox and totaled 139 plate appearances but has just a .140/.174/.155 batting line to show for it — including a .097/.119/.113 slash in 68 plate appearances this season. Though he’s yet to provide any offense in the big leagues, Amaya has a more palatable (albeit still below average) .246/.342/.380 batting line in 1219 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
Because Amaya is out of minor league options, the Sox couldn’t simply send him directly to Triple-A Charlotte. He’d first need to pass through outright waivers for the Sox to be able to assign him to a minor league affiliate. Major League Baseball’s DFA window lasts a week, and the Sox are free to explore trade possibilities or place Amaya during that time. Waivers are a 48-hour process, however, so if they find a trade partner it’d need to happen within the next five days. Given Amaya’s struggles this year, waivers seem likelier, but a team with a short-term need at shortstop could show some interest.
Guardians Activate Slade Cecconi
TODAY: The Guardians have officially announced Cecconi’s activation. Right-hander Zak Kent was optioned to Columbus in the corresponding move.
MAY 16: The Guardians will activate Slade Cecconi from the 15-day injured list to start tomorrow against Cincinnati, relays Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. It will be the right-hander’s team debut. He was acquired from the Diamondbacks in the offseason Josh Naylor trade.
Cecconi, 25, probably would have opened the season in Stephen Vogt’s rotation had he been healthy. He strained his left oblique during Spring Training. He has made a trio of rehab starts with Triple-A Columbus over the past couple weeks. Cecconi has allowed seven runs over 13 innings. He got through 5 2/3 frames and tallied 68 pitches over the weekend.
A Miami product, Cecconi was a supplemental first-round pick in 2020. His prospect stock has dimmed since then, though the Guardians still liked him enough to send their longtime first baseman to Arizona. Cecconi tossed 104 innings for the Snakes between 2023-24, allowing just over six earned runs per nine. His 18.7% strikeout rate is below-average, but he has shown excellent control. He owns a 4.73 ERA over parts of five minor league seasons.
Cleveland lost Ben Lively to the injured list with a flexor strain earlier this week. Cecconi will slot behind Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz and Logan Allen to round out the rotation for the time being.
Royals Place Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo On 15-Day Injured List
The Royals announced that two of their top starters are heading to the 15-day injured list. Cole Ragans has been sidelined due to a left groin strain, while Seth Lugo (whose placement is retroactive to May 14) is dealing with a sprained middle finger on his throwing hand. Left-hander Noah Cameron was called up from Triple-A and will start today’s game against the Cardinals, and fellow southpaw Evan Sisk has also been called up in a corresponding move.
Neither IL placement comes as a big surprise, as it was already known that Cameron would be making a spot start in what was initially Lugo’s regular turn in the rotation today. Lugo’s finger issue was initially described as inflammation, and it arose in his last outing on May 11. The official diagnosis of a sprain indicates that a scan revealed something beyond just soreness, so while the original plan was just for Lugo to miss one start, the veteran right-hander will now get at least 15 days of rest and recuperation.
Ragans had one of his own starts skipped a few weeks ago due to a groin strain, and he left during the sixth inning of yesterday’s game with St. Louis due to a similar groin issue. Ragans will now also head to the IL in order to hopefully put this injury behind him, and the nagging groin problem could explain why Ragans has a 7.20 ERA (eight earned runs over 10 innings) in his last two starts.
It has been an unusual season for Ragans, who is pitching much better than his 4.53 ERA would indicate. An inflated .376 BABIP is the biggest culprit behind Ragans’ lack of bottom-line success, as his 37.7% strikeout rate is among the game’s best, and his 6.8% walk rate is also solidly above the league average. With a 2.28 SIERA and a .249 xwOBA, the advanced metrics indicate that Ragans is actually pitching better than he did in 2024, when he finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Lugo was the runner-up in last year’s AL Cy voting, after posting a 3.00 ERA over 206 2/3 innings with Kansas City. In something of the reverse of Ragans, Lugo has been outperforming his secondary numbers in both 2024-25, and he has a cumulative 3.01 ERA over the two seasons but a more modest 4.00 SIERA. Lugo’s lack of strikeouts and his tendency to allow hard contact may not impress the Statcast crew, but his strong control and elite curveball spin rate has allowed him to achieve quite a bit of success over his two seasons with the Royals.
Cameron made his MLB debut earlier this season and was brilliant in his lone start, tossing 6 1/3 shutout innings of one-hit ball against the Rays on April 30. He’ll get another chance to display his stuff both today and likely throughout at least the end of May, as Cameron is the logical choice to fill one of the two spots that have suddenly opened up in the K.C. rotation.
There aren’t many teams that could easily handle losing two starters at the same time, and the Royals’ depth has been further thinned since Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright are also both still on the IL. Rich Hill was signed to a minors deal earlier this week, but Hill is only just starting to properly ramp up and won’t be game-ready for a while. At the Triple-A level, prospect Luinder Avila could be called up for his own MLB debut, or Thomas Hatch could be called if the Royals opened up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Kansas City’s rotation has been one of the best in baseball this year, between the contributions of Ragans, Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, and Kris Bubic. This excellent pitching staff has helped the Royals keep pace in the crowded AL Central despite some very inconsistent hitting, so K.C. will now need both better offense and some reinforcements from beyond the starting five to keep from slipping back in the playoff race.