On an afternoon this week, in the far corner of the Royals clubhouse, Danny Duffy surveyed his options and mulled his next move on a giant-sized version of the game Jenga. A stack of wooden blocks had been set up on the carpet, and Duffy was facing off against third baseman Mike Moustakas. There were only few moves left. He inspected a corner piece. It looked a little loose.
This was Tuesday. The defending World Series champions sat at 18-19 in the standings after an early-season swoon, and as a group of teammates kept one eye on the Jenga showdown, the gentle sound of pop star Ed Sheeran played on a clubhouse speaker.