Maikel Garcia

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.

Garcia went 2-for-2 in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

Garcia spent a lot of time hitting cleanup down the stretch last season, but he's led off in all three of his appearances this spring, suggesting that the Royals are leaning towards employing him there in the regular season. That would give Salvador Perez's stock a little boost, since he'd move up from fifth to fourth. Jonathan India, who opened up in the leadoff spot last year, would hit in the bottom half of the order if Garcia leads off, making him a weaker bet as a late-round, bounce-back option.