Royals newcomer Andrew Benintendi still waiting for things to ‘click’ at the plate

It may not look like it when Andrew Benintendi angrily barks at himself on the way back to the dugout following a strikeout, but the Kansas City Royals’ left fielder is taking a big-picture view of his early struggles at the plate.

The acquisition of Benintendi, 26, from the Boston Red Sox in February bolstered the feeling among the Royals that they were poised to make big improvements this season and potentially compete for a playoff spot.

The excitement that came with Benintendi — a former national college player of the year, a first-round draft pick (seventh overall in 2015) and Baseball America’s top-ranked prospect in 2017 — didn’t disintegrate within fewer than 10 games at the start of the season.

“I feel like I’m so close. It’s so frustrating because it’s so close,” Benintendi said on Monday. “Even compared now to spring training — it may not look any different — but I feel a lot closer to where I want to be. ...

“Sometimes you just have to slow it down and be like ‘Look we still have 150-something games left. It’s going to come eventually.’ Then in the meantime, just do anything I can to help the team win.”

Benintendi entered Tuesday batting .188 with a .278 on-base percentage through his first eight games and 32 at-bats (36 plate appearances). He has struck out 11 times and drawn four walks.

He walked and scored in the sixth inning of Monday night’s 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

In 485 career games prior to this season, Benintendi posted a .273/.353/.435 slash line. In three full seasons as a starter with the Red Sox (2017-19), he averaged 16 homers, 82 RBIs and 17 stolen bases per season.

Touted as having a patient approach, Benintendi has seen 150 pitches in 36 plate appearances or approximately 4.17 pitches each time he steps in the box.

He simply seems to be just missing that pitch, the one in each at-bat that could flip around his lagging statistical production.

“There’s been a lot of times this year — so far it seems like every at-bat — where I’m fouling off a pitch I should be driving,” Benintendi said. “The next thing I know, I’m down 0-2 or 1-2. At that point, you’ve just got to battle.”

Benintendi delivered his first RBI in Sunday’s win in Chicago when he singled into left field to score Nicky Lopez with what was the go-ahead run at the time in the eighth inning of a tie game.

Lopez had stolen second base to put himself in scoring position.

“I know that was a first just because there’s been times in other games when I’ve come up and haven’t gotten it done,” Benintendi said of collecting the RBI. “That’s the only real reason why I knew.”

Benintendi’s 10th inning bunt back to relief pitcher Garrett Crochet with a runner on third base led to a throwing error by Crochet that scored the eventual winning run.

The White Sox intentionally walked leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield in order to put the double play in order and tried their luck pitching to Benintendi.

“No, I wasn’t surprised,” Benintendi said of the move. “I thought it was going to happen a little sooner, honestly. At that point you know I’m getting up facing that kind of guy, I’m just trying to do anything I can to get the run in. Obviously, not the best bunt, but got the job done. Made them try to make a play, glad that we scored.”

Benintendi has pledged to return to his line-drive hitting, middle-of-the-field approach after having become pull-heavy and focused on launch angle.

He expressed confidence that with time and repetitions things will click for him at the plate and he’ll be able to stay on track.

In the meantime with things not going great at the plate, he’s focused on making simple, basic contributions such as getting a bunt down, moving a runner or slapping the ball the other way and taking a single when it’s there.

“I see, everyday, Benny becoming more confident in his swing,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said.

Matheny added that it’s evident from Benintendi’s frustration that he knows he ought to be squaring up a couple pitches that he’s missing each game, but that problem is not exclusive to Benintendi among the hitters in the Royals’ current lineup.

“He has been a really good weapon as far as moving guys over, a big RBI the other day in Chicago besides laying the bunt down, looking to see where he can use the whole field,” Matheny said. “I see him doing a whole lot more than what he sees himself doing, but it’s still not a panic (from him). This guy has been around a little while and he’s got confidence.”