New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/12/2025

Game Time: 7:40 pm ET, Thursday, June 12, 2025

Venue:  Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees -150, Royals -123; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees -150, Royals -125; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Yankees -145, Royals -120; Over/Under:  9 runs

New York Yankees:  40-25 (1st place, AL East)

Kansas City Royals:  34-33 (4th place, AL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Sean Murphy is on a HOT STREAK in the MLB on a 33-19-3 MLB RUN for +$8,640 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

New York Yankees:  5-5 last 10

Kansas City Royals:  4-6 last 10

The Yankees are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 40-25 record overall and have a road record of 19-13. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Royals on Thursday with the 2nd game still to be played on Wednesday. The Yankees won the series opener on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .813 OPS. Clarke Schmidt is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Will Warren is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 4-3 with a 5.34 ERA this season. His team won 5 of their last 6 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 4 BB with 6 Ks on 3 hits through 5.1 IP against the Boston Red Sox.

The Royals are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 34-33 record overall and have a home record of 19-14. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Yankees on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Royals lost the 1st game of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .677 OPS. Kris Bubic is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Seth Lugo is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 3-5 with a 3.46 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5 innings played against the Chicago White Sox.

The current betting odds have the Royals listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Yankees have looked really good in their games this season with their 40-25 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East. They have been a good road team too with their 19-13 road record this season. Meanwhile, the Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 34-33 record overall, but that record has them near the bottom of the AL Central in a competitive division. They have looked a lot better in their own ballpark with their 19-14 home record this year. The Yankees have one of the best records in the entire MLB right now, but they haven't been rolling into this series and this is a pitching matchup that the Royals can definitely take advantage of. Lugo is on the mound for the Royals in this one and he has been a solid starter for them all season. He is 3-5 with a 3.46 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him lately, but the team has lost 3 games in a row with him starting and he hasn't pitched badly in those so he will be looking to have another great game here in which he can get a win. The Yankees are going with Warren in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. The Yankees have had a ton of success with him lately as they have won 5 of the last 6 games he started in, but they have been winning those games with their offense since he has still been giving up a lot of runs. He is 4-3 with a 5.34 ERA this year and he is coming off a start in which he gave up 4 earned runs. The Yankees do have the better offense here, but the Royals have looked a lot better at home this year and have the better pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Royals to win this game. 

Yankees Royals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, June 12, 2025 (7:40 pm ET start time) is Royals 6 Yankees 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this New York Yankees Kansas City Royals prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

New York Yankees: 57-28 (+17.5 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 112-87 (+12 units) on the moneyline in road games. 119-95 (+14.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 53-31 UNDER against AL Central opponents. 

Kansas City Royals: 34-53 (-9.2 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 178-218 (-13.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 101-155 (-9.9 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 48-35 UNDER against AL East opponents.

New York Yankees:  J. Chisholm Jr. (2B) Day To Day - Neck. L. Weaver (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. O. Cabrera (3B) Ten Day IL - Ankle. G. Stanton (DH) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Stroman (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. J. Brubaker (SP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. J. Cousins (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. L. Gil (SP) Sixty Day IL - Back. G. Cole (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Kansas City Royals:  M. Massey (2B) Ten Day IL - Ankle. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. L. Erceg (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. A. Marsh (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. McArthur (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Long (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. K. Wright (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder.

"I made sure to jump up and get to a good spot where I could really watch it. I was under control, poised, I had to make sure I had a good view of it. That was evaporated.” - Aaron Boone after his team’s win against the Royals in their game on Tuesday.

“You have to execute. There are no free outs in there.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s loss against the Yankees in their game on Tuesday.

Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B

Trent Grisham (L) CF

Aaron Judge (R) DH

Cody Bellinger (L) RF

Anthony Volpe (R) SS

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B

Jasson Domínguez (S) LF

DJ LeMahieu (R) 2B

Austin Wells (L) C

Jonathan India (R) 2B

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) DH

Salvador Perez (R) 1B

Mark Canha (R) LF

Jac Caglianone (L) RF

Freddy Fermin (R) C

Drew Waters (S) CF

Batting Average:  Aaron Judge (.396)

Hits:  Aaron Judge (97)

Home Runs:  Aaron Judge (24)

RBI:  Aaron Judge (58)

Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisholm (10)

Wins:  Max Fried (9)

Saves:  Luke Weaver (8)

ERA:  Adam Ottavino (0.00)

Batting Average:  Luke Maile (.375)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (76)

Home Runs:  Vinnie Pasquantino (10)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (38)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (21)

Wins:  Kris Bubic (5)

Saves:  Carlos Estévez (19)

ERA:  Hunter Harvey (0.00)

Managers:

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone (8th season)

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)