Yankees vs Royals: Game 2 prediction, odds, injuries and picks

AL East powerhouses the New York Yankees take on AL Central hopefuls the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, for the second of three games at Kauffman Stadium.

The Bronx Bombers are 40-25 for the season, occupying top spot in their division, while the Royals, only a game above .500 at 34-33, are fourth in theirs.

Let's take a look at the odds for Wednesday's matchup and how the action might play out on the field.

Yankees vs Royals prediction

Taking the mound for the Bronx Bombers is veteran Clarke Schmidt, who is enjoying a decent season, pitching with a 2-3 record, along with a 4.04 ERA and 50 total strikeouts.

Clarke Schmidt in action - Source: Getty

On the flip side, hitters such as Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Volpe make the visitors one of the most formidable offenses in the major leagues.

For the Royals, lefty Kris Bubic gets the nod to start. On paper, Bubic has fared quite a lot better than his counterpart, boasting a 5-3 record, along with a 1.43 ERA and 79 strikeouts.

At the plate, Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Jonathan India lead the way for Kansas City.

With both pitchers looking strong of late, this may be a low-scoring game, which the visitors' superior offense may ultimately find a way to win.

Prediction: New York Yankees 4, Kansas City Royals 3

Odds

Money Line: New York Yankees -120, Kansas City Royals +102

Run Line: Yankees -1.5 (+123), Royals +1.5 (-164)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-127), Under 8.5 (-105)

Injury report

New York injuries

Oswaldo Cabrera: 10-day IL (Ankle)

Luke Weaver: 15-day IL (Hamstring)

Marcus Stroman: 15-day IL (Knee)

Gerrit Cole: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Luis Gil: 60-day IL (Back)

Giancarlo Stanton: 60-day IL (Elbow)

JT Brubaker: 60-day IL (Ribs)

Jake Cousins: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Jazz Chisholm: day-to-day (Neck)

Royals injuries:

Michael Massey: 10-day IL (Ankle)

Sam Long: 15-day IL (Elbow)

Lucas Erceg: 15-day IL (Back)

Kyle Wright: 15-day IL (Shoulder)

Hunter Harvey: 60-day IL (Shoulder)

Alec Marsh: 60-day IL (Shoulder)

James McArthur: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Expert picks

This game has all the makings of a hard-fought pitcher's duel, and the Bronx Bombers' star-studded offense gives them a slight edge to end up on the winning side.

Money Line: New York Yankees -120

Run Line: Royals +1.5 (-164)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-127)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Ribin Peter

Yankees vs Royals: Game 2 prediction, odds, injuries and picks - June 11, 2025