Guardians, Royals set for doubleheader
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Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Live Stream
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MLB - Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals - 07/26/2025 Major League Baseball Kansas City Royals Bobby Witt Jr.
In the wild card race, the Guardians are 2 1/2 games out of the third and final spot. The Red Sox currently occupy that position by a half game over Texas and 1 1/2 games over Tampa Bay. Yes, the Guardians are still third in line, but at one point during their free fall there were five teams ahead of them in the chase for the last postseason spot.
The Guardians looked like they might be sellers after a 10-game skid but an 11-2 stretch has them back into the Wild Card race. So are they a buyer?
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That includes Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette, their first-round pick. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound LaViolette, who just underwent hand surgery, received a $4 million signing bonus, which was above his slot value of $3.38 million. The Guardians selected him with the 27th pick in the first round.
The Guardians topped the list of bonus-over-value handed out for the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Compared to Jace Laviolette's slot value at pick No. 27 at $3.382 million, the Guardians went more over-slot than anyone in MLB this season. They handed Laviolette a $4 million signing bonus.