KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Opening day is just two weeks away for the Kansas City Royals.
The club kicks off the 2020 season in Cleveland against the Indians on Friday, July 24. With only a few weeks of summer camp to prepare, the pressure is on for Royals' first-year manager Mike Matheny as he continues to search for his 30-man roster.
"When you think two weeks out, in a normal spring we've had, I mean, we're talking about we're ready to go now, you know, that's usually the conversation. Spring training is too long," Matheny said. "But this (summer camp) has been quick."
The third intersquad game of camp will take place Friday evening. It's an opportunity to watch and evaluate players.
"We have to make good decisions," Matheny said. "I feel like for us (coaches) as evaluators, it feels like it's going to be fast, but after kind of watching where the guys are ... I feel good about it."
Starting Sunday or Monday, umpires will attend intersquad games to get players game-ready. Matheny even asked the Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office about allowing fan noise to be played through the speakers at Kauffman Stadium in the hope of making the atmosphere more realistic.
"To kind of keep it fresh and a little bit different... and get it a little closer to what it might look like once we start the season," he said.
