William Contreras

Abreu was certainly expected to be in the lineup, but that's a little higher placement than we'd have guessed. Today's lineup: RF Ronald Acuna Jr., 1B Luis Arraez, CF Jackson Chourio, LF Abreu, 3B Maikel Garcia, DH Eugenio Suarez, C William Contreras, 2B Gleyber Torres and SS Andres Gimenez. Willson Contreras is on the bench, even though he'd seem to be a clear upgrade over Arraez.

William Contreras again leads the way

Sanchez, who last pitched in the majors in 2022, is getting a chance with the Royals here because of his success in the Dominican Winter League, but he didn't show much today. His 33 pitches produced just one missed swing, and seven of the eight balls in play against him were hard hit, including a William Contreras double that would have been a homer in 19 MLB parks.

The deal includes a $14.5 million team option for 2027 that converts to a mutual option if Contreras finishes fourth or better in this year s NL MVP balloting.

The Brewers and star catcher William Contreras avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season, per a team announcement. The Octagon client will earn $9.4MM in 2026, and the 2027 option is valued at $14.5MM, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Contreras’ camp had filed…