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Royals Rumors

Royals Place Adalberto Mondesi On Injured List

By Steve Adams | March 31, 2021 at 12:15pm CDT

The Royals announced Wednesday that shortstop Adalberto Mondesi has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. The move is retroactive to March 30. Fellow infielder Nicky Lopez is up from the team’s alternate site to take Mondesi’s spot on the Opening Day roster.

It’s something of an out-of-the-blue placement, as Mondesi played as recently as Monday and hasn’t been known to be battling any soreness in his oblique. The 25-year-old speedster turned in a .303/.343/.606 slash with two homers, a triple, two doubles and two stolen bases through 36 plate appearances this spring. He was limited early in camp after being hit by a pitch on his foot but had put that minor injury behind him.

It’s a sour note on which to start the season for Mondesi, who played in 59 of the Royals’ 60 games last season while slashing a combined .256/.294/.416 with a league-leading 24 steals. He’s battled shoulder and groin injuries in seasons prior, however, and will now be out at least a week early in the season — perhaps a good bit more. The Royals have yet to announce a timeline on Mondesi or the grade of the strain, but it’s common for oblique strains to sideline players for upwards of a month. The Royals will surely have more information on his status later today when skipper Mike Matheny meets with reporters.

With Mondesi sidelined for the time being, it’ll likely fall to the light-hitting Lopez to handle everyday work at shortstop. The 26-year-old is known as a strong defender but has managed just a .228/.279/.307 slash in 594 big league plate appearances.

For much of the offseason, Lopez was expected to be the Royals’ primary second baseman in 2021 — or at least to have a strong chance at winning the job in camp. However, his .118/.231/.147 batting line through 39 Cactus League appearances left him as an odd man out at the end of camp. Kansas City optioned him on Monday, deciding instead to move Whit Merrifield back to the infield to cover second base and leaving outfielders Michael A. Taylor, Kyle Isbel, Ryan McBroom and Jarrod Dyson in the mix for playing time in center and right alongside left fielder Andrew Benintendi .

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Adalberto Mondesi Kansas City Royals Nicky Lopez

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Royals Select Hanser Alberto

By Connor Byrne | March 29, 2021 at 6:47pm CDT

The Royals have added infielder Hanser Alberto to their 40-man roster, Alec Lewis of The Athletic was among those to report. Their 40-man is now full.

Alberto, previously with the Rangers and Orioles, signed a minor league contract with the Royals over the winter. He’ll now earn a $1.65MM salary, potentially with another $350K in bonuses, off the Royals’ bench. As someone with quite a bit of experience at both second and third base, the 28-year-old will provide Kansas City some insurance behind Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier. He’ll also give the team a stopgap until it’s ready to promote top infield prospect Bobby Witt Jr., whom it reassigned to the minors earlier this month.

Alberto had rough seasons in Texas from 2015-18 (he didn’t appear in the bigs in ’17), but he did hit for good averages in Baltimore in the past two seasons. He ended his Orioles tenure as a .299/.322/.413 batter with a meager 10.2 percent strikeout rate (albeit with a minuscule walk percentage of 2.7) over 781 plate appearances. Most of the 28-year-old right-hander’s damage came against lefty pitchers, whom he victimized for a .394/.411/.532 line in 280 trips to the plate as an Oriole.

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Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals

By Anthony Franco | March 28, 2021 at 8:06pm CDT

The Royals have been near the bottom of the American League three years running. They took steps to correct that over the winter, adding a few veterans to deepen the roster. This spring, the Royals locked up a couple key contributors on long-term extensions, one via the largest deal in franchise history.

Major League Signings

  • Mike Minor, LHP: Two years, $18MM (contains 2023 club option)
  • Carlos Santana, 1B: Two years, $17.5MM
  • Greg Holland, RHP: One year, $2.75MM
  • Michael A. Taylor, OF: One year, $1.75MM
  • Jarrod Dyson, OF: One year, $1.5MM

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired RHP Dylan Coleman from the Padres as player to be named later in last year’s Trevor Rosenthal trade
  • Acquired OF Andrew Benintendi and $2.8MM from the Red Sox as part of a three-team trade involving the Mets; Kansas City traded OF Franchy Cordero and two players to be named later to Boston and OF Khalil Lee to New York

Notable Minor League Signings

  • Hanser Alberto, Brad Brach, Wade Davis (later selected to 40-man roster), Foster Griffin, Jeison Guzman, Erick Mejia, Carlos Sanabria, Ervin Santana, Bubba Starling

Extensions

  • Hunter Dozier, 3B: Four years, $25MM guarantee with fifth year club option
  • Salvador Pérez, C: Four years, $82MM guarantee with fifth year club option (begins in 2022)

Notable Losses

  • Alex Gordon (retired), Maikel Franco (non-tendered), Ian Kennedy, Matt Harvey, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Montgomery, Glenn Sparkman, Randy Rosario, Matt Reynolds, Óscar Hernández

The Royals’ run of consecutive losing seasons reached four in 2020, as they finished 26-34 in the abbreviated slate. That was at least an improvement over 2018-19, during which time Kansas City had the third-worst combined record in the league (better only than the Orioles and Tigers). The Royals view 2020 as a stepping stone, a sign the organization has put those horrible two seasons behind them. Entering the offseason, general manager Dayton Moore said he expected the team to be more competitive in 2021 than it had been in years past.

Moore was also rather forthright about what he saw as the team’s deficiencies. “We definitely need more on-base guys,” the GM told reporters last October. “We need more quality [at-bats] from probably two other spots in that lineup.” Not coincidentally, the Royals’ biggest free agent position player pickup ended up being Carlos Santana. The veteran first baseman is one of the game’s best at taking quality at-bats. Since breaking into the majors in 2010, Santana has reached base at a .366 clip, a mark that ranks 25th leaguewide (minimum 2000 plate appearances).

The Royals inked Santana to a two year, $17.5MM guarantee in December. It was a bit of a surprise to see him command a multi-year deal coming off a .199/.349/.350 line in Cleveland. Despite the mediocre bottom line numbers last year, Santana’s strike zone feel was strong as ever. The switch-hitter walked at an incredible 18.4% clip while punching out just 16.9% of the time, making him one of only seven qualified hitters with more free passes than strikeouts.

Santana was the Royals’ only major league free agent infield pickup, but the club made another important addition on a minor-league contract. Kansas City agreed to a non-roster deal with Hanser Alberto, who had been non-tendered by the Orioles. The 28-year-old seems likely to make the Opening Day roster and push incumbent second baseman Nicky Lopez for playing time. (Before signing Alberto, the Royals pursued Jurickson Profar in free agency, but the latter eventually returned to the Padres on a three-year deal).

Lopez won’t begin the year on the active roster, having been optioned to Triple-A. The Royals could turn to Whit Merrifield, who has bounced between second and the outfield in recent years, at the keystone. Alternatively, Kansas City could move Merrifield to right field on a regular basis and give the second base job to Alberto with Lopez in the minors. Alberto never walks but he makes a ton of contact, resulting in a productive .299/.322/.413 line (95 wRC+) over the past two seasons. Top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. impressed in Spring Training and could also be an option at some point this season. He’ll begin the year in the minors, perhaps at Double-A.

The left side of the infield will be filled internally. Adalberto Mondesi hasn’t consistently performed at the plate but he’s shown flashes of power, good defense and elite baserunning. The 25-year-old will get another shot at a breakout season at shortstop. After breaking in as a third baseman, Hunter Dozier moved to right field last year to accommodate the signing of Maikel Franco. Franco was reasonably productive in 2020, but the Royals non-tendered him rather than pay an arbitration salary projected in the $4.5MM – $8MM range. With Franco gone, Dozier moves back to the hot corner.

The outfield will look quite different than it has in the past. Franchise icon Alex Gordon retired at the end of last season. One of the faces of the Royals’ mid-2010’s playoff runs, Gordon walked away after an illustrious 14-year career in Kansas City. It’ll be difficult to replace his perennially elite left field defense, to say nothing of the unquantifiable impact he had in the locker room and in the community. But Gordon was a below-average hitter in each of his final five seasons, so there’s certainly room for more offense at the position.

The Royals hope that production comes from their top trade pickup of the offseason. In need of a new left fielder and on the hunt for a left-handed bat to better balance the lineup, Kansas City acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Red Sox as part of a three-team deal. They’re buying low on the 26-year-old, who took a bit of a step back from his peak form in 2019 before suffering through a disastrous 2020.

The Royals sent outfielder Franchy Cordero, whose blend of power and speed continues to intrigue teams despite a lengthy injury history and swing-and-miss issues, back to the Red Sox, along with a pair of players to be named later. Outfield prospect Khalil Lee was moved to the Mets as part of the deal. Benintendi is controllable for a pair of seasons, and the Red Sox will pay $2.8MM of his $6.6MM salary in 2021.

In the other corner outfield spot, the Royals could turn to Merrifield regularly with Alberto and/or Lopez at second base. When Merrifield’s on the dirt, Edward Olivares, Nick Heath and prospect Kyle Isbel could work in right. Those players could all be options in center field, as well, but the bulk of time there seems likely to go to a pair of free agent signings. The Royals have long valued speed and range more than most teams, and their moves at the position reflect that. Kansas City signed each of Michael A. Taylor and Jarrod Dyson to low-cost, one-year deals. Neither player offers much at the plate, but they’re high-end defenders and Dyson, in particular, is an excellent baserunner.

Dyson’s addition is also emblematic of another organizational pattern: reacquiring former Royals. Last winter, Kansas City brought back former All-Star closer Greg Holland on a minor-league deal. That proved to be a masterstroke, as Holland tossed 28.1 innings of 1.91 ERA/3.20 SIERA ball, eventually reclaiming his old ninth inning role. The veteran righty is back again, having re-signed on a surprisingly modest $2.75MM contract this offseason.

Holland isn’t the only member of the Royals’ old fearsome bullpen to return. Wade Davis, arguably the best reliever in baseball from 2014-16, will be on the Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league deal over the winter. Davis’ stint with the Rockies was a disaster, and he’s now a couple years removed from being productive. But there’s little risk in bringing him back and hoping for a resurgence. That’s also true of former Oriole bullpen stalwart Brad Brach, a fellow minor-league signee.

The team’s biggest free agent pickup of the winter is another player who once had plenty of success in Kansas City. Mike Minor revived his career with a breakout 2017 season working out of the Royals’ bullpen. That earned him a three-year deal with the Rangers, where Minor stretched back out as a starter. The lefty had plenty of success over his first two years in Texas, earning an All-Star selection in 2019. Minor had a difficult 2020 season in terms of run prevention, pitching to a 5.56 ERA in 56.2 innings. He struck out a career-best 25.9% of opposing hitters, though, and pitched to a 4.20 SIERA that was actually better than in either of his previous two seasons.

The Royals’ front office clearly believes in Minor’s ability to bounce back, as they signed the 33-year-old to a two-year, $18MM guarantee with a 2023 club option. He joins Brad Keller and Danny Duffy as rotation locks. Brady Singer seems likely to open the year in the starting five as well. Jakob Junis and Kris Bubic will almost certainly factor into the rotation at some point (although Bubic will open the year in the minors). Prospects Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch are in camp as non-roster invitees, as is Ervin Santana, another former Royal brought back over the winter.

Many teams around the league scaled back payroll this offseason on the heels of last year’s revenue losses. The Royals are an exception, entering 2021 in the same range they were prepared to open 2020. Cot’s Baseball Contracts pegs their projected Opening Day payroll at just under $88MM (not yet including Davis’ $1.25MM salary, which became guaranteed when he earned a spot on the active roster). The Royals opened last season just north of $89MM (before prorating salaries), Cot’s estimates.

Adding Davis to the ledger should put the Royals’ 2021 payroll at or a little above last year’s mark. (If Alberto makes the team, he’d lock in a $1.65MM base salary). That’s still one of the lower figures in the league and around $54MM shy of 2017’s franchise-record outlay of $143+MM. However, that the Royals didn’t dramatically cut costs this winter could bode well for their chances of increasing future spending as they put their rebuild behind them.

Indeed, the Royals have started to fill in the long-term books over the past few weeks. That began with an extension for Dozier that guarantees $25MM and keeps him under club control through 2025. It’s a bet on a bounce back for the 29-year-old, who performed well in 2019 before falling off a bit last year. Dozier had to work back from an early bout with COVID-19, so it’s not unreasonable to believe he can regain some of his lost power with a more normal offseason.

The Dozier extension was a precursor to a more meaningful pact. The Royals locked up Salvador Pérez, who had been scheduled to reach free agency after this season, on a four-year extension covering 2022-25 and including a club option for 2026. The deal guarantees the 30-year-old backstop $82MM and can max out at $93MM over five seasons, making it the largest investment in franchise history.

It was a bit surprising to see Pérez command that level of commitment, particularly a year in advance of free agency. Still, he’s clearly beloved within the organization and by the Kansas City fanbase and is coming off an incredible 2020 season. No one expects Pérez to repeat last year’s .333/.353/.633 slash line over a larger sample, but Pérez is one of the game’s preeminent workhorses behind the plate and has a long track record of outhitting others at the position.

It’s possible Moore and his front office look to hammer out another long-term deal or two in the next few days. They reportedly discussed an extension with Mondesi early in Spring Training. Talks apparently didn’t get very far, but they could revisit those negotiations. Mondesi is controllable through 2023 via arbitration.

There’s a bit more urgency if the front office wants to keep Jorge Soler off the open market. The 2019 AL home run champ is scheduled to be a free agent at year’s end. The Royals had interest in working out an extension with Soler last offseason. It isn’t clear if that’s still the case after he hit just .228/.326/.443 and battled an oblique injury in 2020.

It remains to be seen whether the Royals did enough to seriously contend for a playoff spot this season. Public projections still paint them as something of a longshot, but the fanbase has some reason for hope for the first time in a while. At the very least, the Royals should be more competitive in 2021 than they’ve been over the past few years.

How would you grade the Royals’ offseason? (poll link for app users)

 

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2020-21 Offseason In Review Kansas City Royals MLBTR Originals

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Royals Option Nicky Lopez

By TC Zencka | March 28, 2021 at 7:12pm CDT

In a somewhat surprising move, the Royals have optioned second baseman Nicky Lopez to Triple-A, per Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). Whit Merrifield is now in line to move in from the outfield to man second base, notes the Athletic’s Alec Lewis (via Twitter).

Looking at the numbers, it’s not a shock to see Lopez sent down for further seasoning. His 55 wRC+ across 192 plate appearances in 2020 ranked dead last among the 142 qualified hitters in the Majors. He slashed .201/.286/.266 with a meager .065 ISO. Specifically, the quality of his contact was lacking: He finished in the fourth percentile league-wide for exit velocity, barrel rate, and expected slugging. That said, he provides elite defense at the keystone, he runs well, and with a 9.4 percent walk rate and 21.4 percent strikeout rate, his approach at the plate is solid.

Despite his struggles, the Royals have stood behind Lopez. It certainly seemed as if they were planning on entering 2021 with Lopez as their starting second baseman. Per MLB.com’s Anne Rogers (via Twitter), manager Mike Matheny commented, saying, “We had some conversations, knowing that we have some time to get his swing in the right place. He’s been working the last several days and has made some good strides.”

With Lopez heading to Triple-A and Merrifield moving to second, Kyle Isbel looks like a possibility to start the season in right field. He would need to be added to the 40-man roster, as does Hanser Alberto, who seems likely to make the roster as a reserve infielder. Alberto could benefit from extra playing time, with Hunter Dozier seeing time in right. If not Isbell, Jarrod Dyson, Nick Heath, Edward Olivares, or Ryan McBroom could be given more playing time in the outfield. Alternatively, Jorge Soler could see time in right, and the Royals could deploy a rotating designated hitter.

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Kansas City Royals Nicky Lopez Transactions Whit Merrifield

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Royals Select Wade Davis’ Contract

By Mark Polishuk | March 28, 2021 at 10:06am CDT

The Royals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Wade Davis.  As per the terms of his minor league deal signed back in January, Davis will earn $1.25MM in guaranteed salary and can earn up to $1.125MM more in incentives.  No corresponding move was required, as K.C. had open space on its 40-man roster.

With both Greg Holland and now Davis back in the mix, the Royals have reassembled two-thirds of the Law Firm bullpen that played such a huge role in the team’s back-to-back AL pennants in 2014-15.  (Kelvin Herrera, the other “partner” in the firm, retired in February.)  Holland enjoyed a fine bounce-back season in 2020 after signing a minors deal with Kansas City last winter and returned again on a one-year, MLB contract this offseason.

The Royals hope a similar turn-around is in the cards for Davis, who tossed six scoreless innings in Spring Training, albeit with three walks to two strikeouts.  Davis is looking to rebound from a rough three-season tenure with the Rockies that saw the righty post decent numbers in 2018 before struggling badly over the last two years.  2020 was the low point, as Davis spent time on the injured list with a shoulder strain and was crushed to the tune of a 20.77 ERA over only 4 1/3 innings pitched.

Though Holland is expected to once again factor into Kansas City’s late-game picture, Davis is being eyed for more of a standard middle relief role, and will have to pitch well to earn more higher-leverage innings.  Davis, Holland, and Jesse Hahn are the experienced hurlers within an overall pretty young K.C. bullpen.  Ervin Santana is another veteran in camp on a minor league contract, and he also still has a shot at breaking camp with the team.

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Latest On Salvador Perez’s Contract Extension

By TC Zencka | March 22, 2021 at 4:37pm CDT

The talks that led to catcher Salvador Perez signing a Royals’ franchise-record $82MM extension over the weekend began in January. Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman took a trip to Florida with Perez, general manager Dayton Moore, assistant GM Rene Francisco, manager Mike Matheny, and bench coach Pedro Grifol to kick off the conversations that would keep their franchise catcher in Kansas City well into his 30s, per MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.

Perez, who will turn 31 in May, has been a member of the Kansas City organization for 15 years already, and though Tommy John surgery robbed him of the 2019 season and knocked him from the public spotlight, he’s a well-respected and well-decorated catcher who has earned six All-Star nods, three Silver Slugger Awards and five Gold Gloves to go with his 2015 World Series ring and World Series MVP.

It is that resume, perhaps, that scared the Royals into thinking they would be outbid for Perez should be reach free agency. Said Moore (per Rogers): “He’s earned the right to potentially become a free agent, and who knows how that would have unfolded. But I think it’s safe to say, when Salvador Perez becomes a free agent, maybe it’s a little more challenging for us to have him here in Kansas City.”

It’s hard to know exactly what kind of market Perez would have found as a free agent entering his age-32 season. J.T. Realmuto, the consensus top backstop in the sport, didn’t spark the bidding war many expected this past offseason, eventually returning to Philadelphia on a five-year deal worth $115.5MM. Perez will make $93.5MM over a similar term if the Royals activate their club option for 2026. He will be two years older than Realmuto for the length of his contract.

James McCann, meanwhile, signed for a four-year term worth $40.6MM over his age-31 to -34 seasons. McCann doesn’t have nearly the track record that Perez does, but it’s still a little startling to see Perez now slated to make almost exactly double McCann’s guarantee while being a year older during the term of the deal.

Whether the Royals overestimated the competition they’d have for Perez on the open market wasn’t their primary concern. Whereas most teams operate on a value level, the Royals simply wanted Perez in Kansas City over the long haul. Royals leadership has long been concerned with properly rewarding Perez for all that he’s done for the organization, writes the Athletic’s Andy McCullough. That was goal number one, and they accomplished it.

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Royals Sign Salvador Perez To Four-Year Extension

By Anthony Franco | March 21, 2021 at 11:36pm CDT

The Royals announced a contract extension with longtime catcher Salvador Pérez that could keep the backstop in Kansas City through the 2026 season.  The contract’s four guaranteed years will pay Pérez $18MM in 2022, $20MM apiece in 2023 and 2024, and $22MM in 2025.  There is also a club option for the 2026 season that is valued at $13.5MM with a $2MM buyout.  In total, the deal guarantees Pérez at least $82MM with the potential to max out at $93.5MM over five years if the option is exercised.  Pérez is a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The 30-year-old (31 in May) is a face of the franchise, having spent his entire professional career in the Royals’ organization. A workhorse behind the plate and an instrumental piece of Kansas City’s back-to-back pennant winners and 2015 World Series team, Pérez was set for free agency after the season, but now looks to have a shot at spending his entire career in Royals blue.  He is also set to surpass ten years of service this season, locking in full no-trade protection as a player with ten years in MLB and the last five with one team (not that a trade ever looked likely).

Salvador Perez

Were he to play his entire career in Kansas City, Pérez would follow Alex Gordon as career-long Royals. Gordon’s four-year, $72MM deal from January 2016 previously stood as the largest investment in franchise history, Pérez’s extension now takes the title.

The backstop’s standing with the organization no doubt played a role in this extension, but Pérez isn’t being paid off mere nostalgia. He’s coming off the best offensive season of his career on a rate basis, having slashed .333/.353/.633 with eleven home runs over 156 plate appearances last year. Pérez won’t sustain a .345 batting average on balls in play or a .300 isolated power (slugging minus batting average), but he needn’t hit at that level to remain productive. Despite taking on a heavy workload behind the plate, Pérez hit .251/.285/.466 between 2017-18. He has some rather notable on-base deficiencies as a result of minuscule walk rates, but Pérez offers plenty of pop and has outhit most at the position.

Tommy John surgery sidelined Pérez for the entire 2019 season, but he didn’t show any ill effects last year. An eye condition led to a three-week IL stint but was never expected to be a long-term concern. Indeed, Pérez’s quality production at the plate offers reason for Royals’ brass to believe he has put those issues behind him.

Defensively, Pérez has long rated as a below-average pitch framer (although he was around average in last year’s small sample). He has helped offset some of his receiving issues with a plus arm, though, and the Kansas City brass obviously believes strongly in his leadership and softer skills behind the plate, having now reached agreements on three separate extensions with the backstop over the course of his career.

With this deal set to begin in 2022, the Royals’ payroll outlook for this season is unchanged. Pérez will make $14.2MM in 2021 under the terms of his previous extension. Kansas City’s long-term books are fairly clear. Before the Pérez extension, the Royals had just $29.75MM in guaranteed commitments next season (including buyouts of 2023 options). Two years from now, only the recently-extended Hunter Dozier joins him on the books.

Pérez had been the top catcher option scheduled to hit free agency next winter. Excluding players with club options that seem likely to be exercised, Travis d’Arnuad and Yadier Molina are now set to headline the class behind the dish.

Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star was first to report the $20.5MM average annual value (Twitter link). Alec Lewis of the Athletic first reported the existence of the club option and the deal’s specific terms (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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Royals Reassign Bobby Witt Jr. To Minors

By Anthony Franco | March 21, 2021 at 3:07pm CDT

The Royals are reassigning top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. to the minor leagues, report Ken Rosenthal and Alec Lewis of the Athletic (Twitter link). He is likely to start the season at Double-A, per Jeff Passan of ESPN (via Twitter).

That’s hardly a surprise, given that Witt has yet to play a single game above rookie ball since being drafted out of high school in 2019. Some speculation had arisen that Witt could be a major league option right out of the gate after the 20-year-old impressed during spring training. General manager Dayton Moore even left that door open earlier this week, but a minor-league assignment always seemed the most likely outcome.

With Adalberto Mondesi entrenched at shortstop, any chance Witt had at making the team likely involved moving him (or Mondesi) to second base. Instead, it seems Kansas City will turn to Nicky Lopez and/or non-roster invitee Hanser Alberto at the keystone.

Witt, the second overall pick in that 2019 draft, is universally regarded by public prospect evaluators as a top thirty farmhand in the sport. He draws plenty of praise for his power and defensive ability. If Witt performs well in the minors, he might more realistically emerge as a big league option later in the year. By demoting Witt, the Royals also ensure he won’t accrue a full year of MLB service time in 2021, keeping him under team control through at least 2027. In this case, though, there’s a rather justifiable on-field argument for keeping Witt off the MLB roster on Opening Day.

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Royals Option Kris Bubic

By Steve Adams | March 19, 2021 at 2:14pm CDT

Kris Bubic won’t breaking camp in the Royals rotation, as the club announced Friday that he’s been optioned to Triple-A Omaha to begin the 2021 season.

Entering camp, Bubic seemed to have a good chance of cracking the Opening Day rotation. A former top 100 prospect, he debuted with the Royals early in the 2020 season and went on to make 10 starts and total 50 innings, ranking third and fourth on the team in those respective marks. Bubic worked to a 4.32 ERA in that time, adding solid ground-ball (46.6) and strikeout (22.1) percentages but posting a slightly elevated 9.9 percent walk rate.

For a 23-year-old making the jump directly from Class-A Advanced to the Majors, it was a strong showing. Bubic finished on a high note as well, turning in a 2.96 ERA with 30 strikeouts through 27 1/3 innings over his final five starts of the season. He also struggled in Spring Training, however, yielding eight runs (seven earned) on 14 hits and four walks with four strikeouts through 7 1/3 frames.

With Bubic out of the picture, at least for now, the rotation in Kansas City comes a bit more clearly into focus. The Royals have Brad Keller, Danny Duffy and Mike Minor all set in place. Right-hander Brady Singer, another former top prospect who debuted alongside Bubic in 2020, has been excellent thus far in Spring Training and could be the favorite for the fourth spot. Jakob Junis could be in line for the fifth spot, although the Royals have several non-roster players still in camp, including veteran Ervin Santana and top prospects Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar.

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Could Bobby Witt Jr. Make The Royals' Roster?

By Mark Polishuk | March 17, 2021 at 1:36pm CDT

Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the stars of Spring Training, as the highly-touted prospect has wowed teammates and observers at the Royals’ camp.  As a result, Dayton Moore is “very much open-minded of him being on this team as we break this camp,” the Kansas City general manager told Fantasy Alarm’s Jim Bowden in an interview Tuesday. (MLB.com’s Anne Rogers has a partial transcript.)

Since being selected second overall in the 2019 draft, Witt has appeared in only 37 professional games, all with the Royals’ rookie league affiliate in 2019 (.262/.317/.354 in 180 PA).  Even after impressing at the Royals’ alternate training site last summer and continuing that performance into the spring, Witt would still be making a big jump in going from rookie ball to the majors at age 20.  While the Opening Day lineup might be a bit of a reach, there is certainly an increasing chance that Witt could make his MLB debut before the 2021 season is out.

  • Wily Peralta signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in February but hasn’t yet arrived at camp due to visa issues.  Unsurprisingly, manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that the delay will cost Peralta a shot at making the Tigers’ Opening Day roster.  Since being released by the Royals in July 2019, Peralta hasn’t pitched anywhere apart from an eight-game stint in the Dominican Winter League, so his attempt at reviving his career will now move to Detroit’s minor league camp when he eventually gets to the United States.
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Bobby Witt Jr. Detroit Tigers Jorge Polanco Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins Notes Wily Peralta

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