What do MLB players do on an off-day? Here’s an inside look at what Royals said

Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg once noted: “In baseball, there’s always the next day. There is always a tomorrow.”

Sandberg’s words were meant to be hopeful, that a loss doesn’t have to linger.

But over a six-month season, the promise of another game tomorrow can be, well, exhausting. Days off are a rarity, but the Royals had something even more out of the ordinary this past week: three days off.

Two were scheduled: Monday in St. Louis and Thursday in Boston. A rainout on Tuesday gave the Royals players consecutive days without a game. I asked them how they spent that time.

St. Louis

For starters, the mornings are calmer.

“It’s just nice to have a day to have a day,” second baseman Michael Massey said of Monday’s time in St. Louis. “That’s what I did. I left everything at the field, no baseball work today, no mental work, no journaling, no anything about the game or scouting reports.

“There’s no event at the end of the day that you’ve got to prepare for. Just have a cup of coffee and just zone out.”

Some players prefer to chillax at the team hotel — sometimes that’s playing cards with their comrades. Poker and Pluck are games the Royals enjoy playing.

Just like many people, the players enjoy a trip to the mall for some shopping.

More than a dozen Royals also hit the links in St. Louis with closer James McArthur and infielder Nick Loftin winning.

“I was not even close,” pitcher Brady Singer wryly noted.

McArthur said group activities have ramped up this season.

“That stuff’s super cool,” he said. “I think that’s something that a lot of these veteran guys that have come in this year have made it a point to go do — stuff like that as a team, which is really cool. So going with all those guys, they make a really good time and we have a lot of fun out there.”

The group timed things perfectly. They had just finished when it began raining. The inclement weather continued into Tuesday, giving the Royals an unexpected day off, but it meant a doubleheader on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.

After sweeping the Cardinals, the Royals boarded a plane bound for Boston where they had ... another day off on Thursday.

Boston

The Royals arrived in Boston late on Wednesday and had the following day off before opening a three-game set against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Some of the players’ wives and kids were with them this week, including pitcher Chris Stratton.

“We woke up kind of late, but we ended up just going to a couple of parks and nothing crazy. Went to dinner (Thursday night),” said Stratton, whose children are ages 8, 6 and 3.

“Seems like we saved all our off days for this last week, but I can’t complain.”

Manager Matt Quatraro enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with his wife, Christine, and their sons George (8) and Leo (6). They got to act like any other visitors to Boston.

“We did a lot of the typical walk to the park, get ice cream, have lunch, have dinner, have breakfast, all that kind of stuff. Just spend some time together and give my wife a little breather from the kids after being on the road for a while.”

Singer’s wife, Tori, and their son Beau, who was born in September, also were with him in Boston.

For Singer, it was great to get that family time during a hectic baseball season. Oh, and to try the local cuisine.

“Yesterday we woke up a little bit later because we obviously got in late,” Singer said. “Went to lunch, ate a little seafood lunch, got a lobster roll here in Boston, of course. Then we walked around for a bit, went to the park.”

Just not the ballpark.