Off-days give Royals chance to spend time with family or just chill out

The grind of Major League Baseball’s regular season is all but unmatched in the world of sports. To prepare for near-daily baseball from April to September, teams play nearly every day in March, too.

From March 2 to March 20, the Royals played a game every day — sometimes dividing players up into split squads so the team could play two games at once. Monday brought a baseball rarity that’s even more uncommon during spring training: a day off.

Without a game on the schedule, the boys in blue were given a day to enjoy as they saw fit. Alcides Escobar posted a picture of his ticket for Cirque Du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE show in Las Vegas on Instagram, while Omar Infante spent some time in the pool with Moët & Chandon champagne.

But for most, the off-day was an opportunity to spend some much-needed time with loved ones.

“I hung out with my family,” pitcher John Lannan said. “We went to some resort in Phoenix, and my wife and my three-year-old son and my four-month-old daughter went and just hung out there, and we went to this little water park they had there and in the lazy river.”

While Escobar, Infante and Lannan enjoyed their off-days, the award for “wildest” day off has to go to relief pitcher Brian Duensing, whose day involved actual wild animals.

“I just took the kids to the wildlife zoo area, let them walk around and try to tire themselves out,” Duensing said. “They were just standard kids running around; they had Icee all over their faces.”

The Wildlife World Zoo is just 7 miles from the team’s spring home at Surprise Stadium. It’s close for Duensing even on a day away from the ballpark — he’s moved his entire family to Surprise for spring training.

For both Duensing and Lannan, family time is the perfect break from the high-stakes world of professional baseball. Duensing is all business when he’s pitching, so he said it’s nice to be able to flip that switch off when he gets home.

“This game can be stressful enough as it is, but it’s always nice to come home to a wife and kids who see you as their dad and nothing more,” Duensing said. “It takes the pressure off and helps you leave the game at the field.”

Both pitchers appreciate the chance to refocus and relax, but both Lannan and Duensing said a day away from the typical routine comes with some consequences.

“It’s kind of weird having an off-day because you show up at the park the next day and you have to get readjusted,” Lannan said.

Time away from the ballpark means players have to get back in a rhythm when they return, but Lannan said a break still has its upsides after several weeks of spring training.

“I think every spring is (a grind), but you’re just trying to get ready for the season and try not to wear yourself out too much,” Lannan said. “Off-days are nice because you get to kind of relax.”

There was also some baseball business done on the Royals’ lone off-day during Cactus League play. Ross Ohlendorf exercised his opt-out clause, leaving one fewer pitcher competing for one of the Royals’ last available slots.

The now-refreshed Duensing and Lannan are ready to keep battling toward opening day, hoping to make it to Kansas City.

“It’s the same goal — trying to get ready for the season, wherever it is,” Lannan said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Off-days give Royals chance to spend time with family or just chill out."