Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sat 4/3/21 10:43 PM

Taylor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 11-4 win over the Rangers.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor got the Royals on the board when he took Rangers starter Kohei Arihara deep in the fourth inning. The 30-year-old Taylor added a two-run double in the sixth and came around to score on Whit Merrifield's two-run single during a seven-run rally. Through the first two games of 2021, Taylor is 5-for-9 with two homers, six RBI and three runs scored. He's hitting sixth in the Royals' order to strong results, but it may just be a product of the Rangers' poor pitching. The outfielder slashed a career-worst .196/.253/.424 with five homers, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored across 99 plate appearances with the Nationals last year, but he should be due for positive regression this season.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 4/1/21 9:12 PM

Taylor went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three RBI during Thursday's Opening Day victory over the Rangers.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor singled in a run in the first inning, took reliever Taylor Hearn deep in the third, then regained the lead for the Royals with an RBI single in the fourth. During the shortened 2020 campaign, Taylor finished with a lackluster 196/.253/.424 batting line to go with five home runs and 16 RBI in 38 games. It should be noted, however, that he had never hit that poorly before, plus the 30-year-old put together a sharp .333/.438/.615 line this spring.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 3/15/21 11:58 AM

Taylor (back) will start in center field and will bat fifth in Monday's Cactus League game against the Giants, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor looks to be good to go after a sore back kept him out of the lineup for four days. The 29-year-old is off to a 6-for-14 start to spring training, including a pair of home runs. He appears on track to open the season as the Royals' primary center fielder.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Sun 3/14/21 7:02 PM

Taylor (back) could return to Cactus League play as early as Monday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor has been held out over the past several days due to lower back tightness, but manager Mike Matheny said Sunday that the outfielder is healthy. He could return to the lineup Monday unless the team decides to rest him again, and it doesn't appear as though the issue will impact his availability for Opening Day.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 3/11/21 2:25 PM

Taylor was removed from the lineup for Thursday's spring game against the Brewers due to back tightness, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor was a late scratch from Thursday's lineup, and he'll be able to rest during the Royals' day off Friday. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to return to action for Saturday's Cactus League matchup.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 3/11/21 1:17 PM

Taylor was scratched from the lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Brewers, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
EDGE Analysis
The reason for the move is not yet clear. Erick Mejia entered the lineup in his absence, starting in left field and pushing Kyle Isbel from left to center.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 11/30/20 2:12 PM

Taylor signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Royals on Monday, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
The deal also includes $1 million in incentives. Taylor had essentially worn out his welcome in Washington, but he still possesses a mildly interesting combination of power and speed and Kansas City is as good of a landing spot as he could have hoped for. He will be competing with other toolsy reclamation projects like Franchy Cordero and Edward Olivares for playing time, so it's conceivable he could eclipse 400 plate appearances for the first time since 2017. More likely, he will be the Royals' fourth outfielder, getting most of his starts against left-handed pitchers.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Thu 10/15/20 11:47 AM

Taylor cleared waivers Thursday and elected free agency, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
The Nationals deemed Taylor surplus to requirements, and he'll test his luck on the open market rather than remain with the organization in a minor-league capacity. Taylor was a serviceable enough player during his seven years in Washington but fits best in a bench role, as he's only once finished a season with a wRC+ above 80.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Mon 9/21/20 3:30 PM

Taylor is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor looked as though he might have an opportunity to serve as an everyday outfielder after Adam Eaton (finger) was shut down for the season Sept. 17, but he's only drawn two starts in the Nationals' subsequent six games. Instead, the lefty-hitting Andrew Stevenson has been the primary replacement for Eaton, and he should continue filling the larger portion of a platoon with Taylor during the final week of the regular season.

Michael A. Taylor
OF CWS
Fri 9/18/20 3:11 PM

Taylor will sit for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Marlins.
EDGE Analysis
Taylor seemingly lines up as the primary right fielder down the stretch, with Adam Eaton done for the year with a broken finger, though it will be Andrew Stevenson at the position in this game. Taylor hasn't done much of note at the plate this season, though his .694 OPS (the product of a .208/.250/.444 slash line) is actually good for the second-highest mark of his seven-year career.