(Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
After excellent 2017 and 2018 regular seasons, the second of which helped propel Boston to a World Series title, Andrew Benintendi suffered a noticeable decrease in production over the 2019-2020 campaigns. He batted a combined .255 during that span, and played only 14 games last year due to a ribcage strain. When a trade brought him to the KC Royals last winter, Benintendi undoubtedly wanted to prove he was still a formidable offensive force.
But, after a subpar spring training and weak April, it looked like Benintendi might not be the strong left-handed bat the Royals sought all winter.