The Kansas City Royals host the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on FDSSUN and MLB.TV.
The Royals enter as -135 favorites on the moneyline, while the Rays come in at +115 to pull off the upset. The over/under, meanwhile, sits at 8.5.
Find my Rays vs Royals prediction and MLB betting preview below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
Rays vs Royals Prediction
- Rays vs Royals Pick: Rays ML +120
My Royals vs. Rays best bet is on Tampa Bay to win this game. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Rays vs Royals Odds
| Rays Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -180 | 8.5 -111o / -110u | +115 |
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +150 | 8.5 -111o / -110u | -135 |
Rays vs Royals Projected Starting Pitchers
Rays vs Royals MLB Betting Preview
Here we are looking at Taj Bradley, who’s calling Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees’ Spring Training stadium — home.
His numbers there have been rough in his home games this year with a 5.55 ERA across nine starts. On the road, though? He’s done better, sitting with a 4.02 ERA over six starts.
Now, sometimes you see oddsmakers overreact when a team with a weaker record has the better pitcher on the mound. That’s exactly the situation we’re breaking down today: Taj Bradley vs. Kris Bubic, who’s been nothing short of impressive for Kansas City.
Not too long ago, Bubic was even leading all MLB pitchers in Baseball Reference’s WAR metric. That hype has cooled a bit lately, with him getting roughed up by the Yankees two starts ago and struggling against the Rangers in his last outing.
This pick goes against the conventional wisdom around platoon splits. Tampa Bay’s offense is notably stronger against right-handed pitching than left-handed pitching. Kansas City similarly hits better against righties.
So, on the surface, you’d think the bats favor the Royals here. But here’s the twist: Kansas City’s overall offense is so anemic that even when it's in its “better” split against righties, it still doesn't measure up to Tampa’s offense when it faces lefties.
To put numbers on it, the Rays own a 94 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers this year, while the Royals' 87 wRC+ against righties looks even worse.
Add in that Bradley has been a better pitcher away from Steinbrenner Field than at home, and it becomes clear why I’m backing the Rays in this matchup.
Rays vs Royals Pick, Betting Analysis
Despite the pitching matchup and the lefty/righty splits, the quality of the Rays’ offense and Bradley’s road performances tilt the scales enough to take Tampa here.
Bottom line: sometimes looking past the surface-level stats and deeper into splits and context gives you an edge. I’m siding with the Rays in this matchup.
Pick: Rays ML +120
Moneyline
My best bet for this game is on the Rays to win. Taj Bradley has performed better away from home, and Tampa's offense can overpower the Royals' even if they're in a better split.
Run Line (Spread)
While I'm betting the Rays, I'm not taking them on the run line in this game.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total on Tuesday.
