"On some level, this is a failure of leadership from Mike Matheny and Dayton Moore" - Kansas City Royals criticized following addition of 10 players to restricted list for Toronto series

The Kansas City Royals are square in the middle of a media storm. They have placed 10 players on the restricted list for their upcoming series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-game series will take place at the Rogers Centre in Toronto beginning Thursday.

Canada's strict COVID-19 laws restrict players from crossing the border to play games unless vaccinated. The issue has affected a number of MLB teams that have had to travel to Toronto but never on this scale.

Analyst Andrew Baggarly provided his views on the topic in his latest tweet.

"On some level, this is a failure of leadership from Mike Matheny and Dayton Moore." - Andrew Baggarly

The Royals will be significantly short-staffed and will have to rely on fringe players to represent them when visiting the Great White North.

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The Kansas City Royals will be without All-Star Andrew Benintendi for their visit to Toronto

Andrew Benintendi of the Kansas City Royals warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Angels

The biggest miss for the Kansas City Royals will be outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who was recently selected to his first All-Star team. Hunter Dozier, MJ Melendez, Brady Singer and Whit Merrifield are also key pieces of this Royals roster.

Overall, the team will be without two infielders, three outfielders, two catchers and three pitchers.

"Ten Royals will not travel to Toronto and will be placed on the restricted list, per manager Mike Matheny. Andrew Benintendi Whit Merrifield Hunter Dozier Cam Gallagher MJ Melendez Brady Singer Brad Keller Kyle Isbel, Michael A. Taylor Dylan Coleman" - The Athletic

With Melendez and Cam Gallagher both not traveling, and Salvador Perez still injured, the team will have to call up a catcher from the minors.

Manager Mike Matheny made it clear that this was the player's decision.

"It is an individual choice. The organization has done a real good job of bringing in professionals and experts to talk guys through tough conversations," said Matheny

The Kansas City Royals organization isn't really in a position to gift games away. They currently sit last in the American League Central with a 35-53 record. They are also 13 games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins.

The team currently holds the fifth-worst record in Major League Baseball.

"An international embarrassment. We also aren’t very good at baseball." - Hartzell

For the Toronto Blue Jays, this must feel like Christmas in July. The team could use this opportunity to recover from a heavy slump.

The Blue Jays are 3-7 in their last 10 games and sit fourth in the AL East. This is a team that was predicted by many analysts to win the division.

To make matters worse, they recently fired their longtime manager Charlie Montoyo.

Both teams will approach Thursday's game desperate to get back to winning ways. The series in Toronto could be a blowout. It will be interesting to see how some of the Kansas City Royals' younger prospects handle themselves on the big stage.