Olivares is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets.
Matt Beaty will serve as the Royals' designated hitter as they wrap up this three-game set versus New York. Samad Taylor is in left field. Olivares went 2-for-6 with one walk and two strikeouts in the first two games of the series.
Garcia went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Mets.
Garcia extended his hitting streak to six games, though this was his first multi-hit effort in that span. The infielder has also driven in at least one run in four of those games despite hitting out of the leadoff spot. He's slashing .280/.327/.391 with four home runs, 15 stolen bases, 35 RBI and 33 runs scored through 75 contests while enjoying an everyday role at third base.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Reaches 30-steal mark
Rotowire
Witt went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Mets.
The steal was Witt's 30th of the campaign, matching his total as a rookie from last season. The shortstop has gone 12-for-23 (.522) with 11 RBI over his last five contests. The productive stretch has him up to a .264/.302/.464 slash line with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, 56 runs scored, 19 doubles and seven triples through 107 contests.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Pops homer in win
Rotowire
Waters went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Mets.
Waters hit a modest .240 in July with five extra-base hits, eight RBI and two stolen bases over 23 games. The outfielder's homer Wednesday was his fifth of the season, and he's up to a .238/.303/.387 slash line with five steals, 17 RBI and 23 runs scored over 185 plate appearances. Waters should continue to see the bulk of the playing time in right field over Dairon Blanco.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Throws six shutout innings
Rotowire
Ragans (3-3) allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out eight over six shutout innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Mets.
Ragans turned in his best outing of the year after joining the Royals' rotation. With Daniel Lynch (shoulder) shut down into mid-August, Ragans may get a chance to stick as a starter for a while. He's compiled a 4.33 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 35:17 K:BB through 35.1 innings over 19 appearances (two starts). The 25-year-old southpaw is tentatively projected for a road start in Boston next week if he remains in the rotation.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Takes seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Fermin will head to the bench after he served as the Royals' starting catcher in four of the past five games. Salvador Perez, who started at first base and designated hitter in the last two contests, will move behind the plate Wednesday.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Recalled for start Wednesday
Rotowire
Kansas City recalled Ragans from Triple-A Omaha ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Mets.
Ragans pitched pretty well in a spot start for the Royals last month against the Rays, but the 25-year-old left-hander owns a career 5.06 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 54:32 K:BB in 69.1 total innings of work at the major-league level. He is not a recommended fantasy streamer versus New York.
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Royals' James McArthur: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kansas City optioned McArthur to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
McArthur was only up in the majors for one day and did not make an appearance. The 26-year-old right-hander got lit up for seven earned runs while recording only three outs in his major-league debut back on June 28 against the Guardians.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Sent back to Omaha
Rotowire
Kansas City optioned Kowar to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
James McArthur has also been sent to Omaha, with Cole Ragans and Tucker Davidson joining the Royals ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Mets. Kowar, 26, did not make an appearance during his one-day stint on the major-league roster.
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Royals' Alec Marsh: Works in relief Tuesday
Rotowire
Marsh struck out one and allowed no hits and one walk while tossing a scoreless sixth inning out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Marsh had been lined up to start Wednesday's contest, but the Royals surprisingly summoned him from the bullpen Tuesday after starter Zack Greinke was pulled following the fifth inning. As a result of Marsh's usage in relief, the Royals will call up Cole Ragans from Triple-A Omaha to make a spot start Wednesday. Marsh is now lined up to make his next start at some point during this weekend's series in Philadelphia.
Blanco went 0-for-2 with a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Blanco is just 2-for-11 over his last seven games, but he's picked up two steals in that span and now has nine thefts this year. The outfielder still doesn't have an everyday path to playing time, as the Royals' outfield went mainly untouched during their sell-off at the trade deadline. Blanco has a .231/.286/.415 slash line with seven RBI, eight runs scored, six doubles and three triples through 70 plate appearances over 30 games.
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Royals' Samad Taylor: Logs two steals in win
Rotowire
Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Michael Massey is expected to benefit the most from Nicky Lopez getting traded to Atlanta, but it was Taylor getting a start at second base Tuesday. The 25-year-old made the most of the opportunity with his first career multi-hit game. Taylor is up to five steals over 16 contests, and he's added three RBI, five runs scored and a 6:11 BB:K through 44 plate appearances.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Reaches base three times
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-3 with two walks, one RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Melendez's bat is starting to come around -- he's hit safely in 14 of 16 games since the All-Star break, batting .279 (17-for-61) in that span. The 24-year-old is up to six steals in eight attempts after his theft Tuesday. While he's slashing just .218/.296/.351 on the year, he's trending in the right direction and should continue to see ample playing time for the remainder of the season.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Records 15th steal
Rotowire
Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Garcia hit a solid .274 in July, and he's already off to a decent start in August. The infielder provided a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in the contest to help the Royals' offense from atop the order. For the season, Garcia is up to a .273/.321/.385 slash line with four home runs, 15 steals, 35 RBI and 32 runs scored through 74 games. He should continue to see time at leadoff while handling a near-everyday role at third base as the Royals move into prospect evaluation mode over the last two months of the campaign.
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Royals' Carlos Hernandez: Picks up first win
Rotowire
Hernandez (1-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on a hit and a walk while striking out two over one inning to earn the extra-inning win Tuesday over the Mets.
Hernandez didn't pitch well in the 10th inning, giving up a two-run home run to Francisco Alvarez. The Royals were able to rally back and get a walk-off balk for the win. Hernandez is now in the driver's seat to be the Royals' closer after Scott Barlow was dealt to San Diego earlier Tuesday. Hernandez has a mediocre 3.67 ERA, but a 1.00 WHIP and 65:16 K:BB over 54 innings suggest he has the stuff to handle late-inning assignments. There won't be a lot of save chances while pitching for a last-place team, but he's worth a speculative add in fantasy on the strikeout upside alone.
