The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

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MLB News (7/8)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
All-Star rosters revealed; Derby participants also named

By MLB.com staff
07/08/2024

TOP STORIES
Full All-Star rosters revealed: Sixty-nine All-Stars were chosen between the two leagues, including two known injury replacements, as the full rosters were revealed on ESPN last night at 5:30 Eastern time. The pitchers and reserves were chosen in an anonymous player ballot format, along with a portion of them selected by the commissioner's office.

Two more injury replacements are expected in the coming days, as both Emmanuel Clase (knee) of Cleveland and Freddie Freeman (thumb) of the Dodgers will miss the game as they were placed on the injured list this morning.

Of the known replacements, Milwaukee's Sal Frelick will replace the Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr on the roster, but it is unclear whether he'll get the start in right field in his place. NL manager Torey Lovullo of Arizona will have some options, with Teoscar Hernandez (Los Angeles), Lane Thomas (Washington), and Frelick all logging significant innings there.

Brandon Lowe of Tampa Bay, who was voted in as the starter at second base for the American League, was replaced on the roster by another Brandon -- the Angels' Brandon Drury, who lost out to Justin Turner in the voting for AL DH. With the Rangers' Marcus Semien also day-to-day with a sore hamstring, that took away an option, leaving Drury as the only healthy player with significant second base experience on the roster. Abraham Toro of Oakland, their lone representative, has two starts at second this season.

The Dodgers led the entire league with seven selections, while Atlanta came in second with six. Those two teams comprise more than one-third of the NL contingent. The AL was a bit more balanced, with the AL East-leading Blue Jays leading the Junior Circuit with five representatives, while Baltimore came in second with four. Cleveland, Houston, Boston, and Texas were next in line with three each.

Back in the NL, Milwaukee came in tied for third for most selected (3) with Arizona; no other team had more than two selected. Shota Imanaga, who has taken the league by storm in placing third in the league in strikeouts fresh out of Japan, was one of two Cubs pitchers to make the squad (Justin Steele the other).

One notable missing name from the All-Star Game this year will be Mike Trout, who failed to make the squad for the first time in his brilliant career. Another is Bryce Harper, who has been to seven All-Star games, last going in 2022. Although, both of them could be injury replacements at some point over the next week, so stay tuned. Also, the starting pitching assignments have not been named, and generally aren't decided upon until the day before.

Below are the rosters as they currently stand, with injury replacements for Clase and Freeman expected in the coming days:

AL PITCHERS: LHP Brennan Bernardino, Boston; RHP Tanner Bibee, Cleveland; RHP Corbin Burnes, Baltimore; RHP Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland; LHP Danny Coulombe, Baltimore; RHP Bowden Francis, Toronto; RHP Kevin Gausman, Toronto; RHP Clay Holmes, New York; George Kirby, Seattle; RHP Jose LeClerc, Texas; RHP Reese Olson, Detroit; RHP Joe Ryan, Minnesota; LHP Framber Valdez, Houston
AL CATCHERS: Jonah Heim, Texas; Logan O'Hoppe, Los Angeles; Salvador Perez, Kansas City; Adley Rutschman, Baltimore
AL INFIELDERS: Bo Bichette, Toronto; Triston Casas, Boston; Rafael Devers, Boston; Brandon Drury, Los Angeles; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto; Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore; Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay; Jose Ramirez, Cleveland; Abraham Toro, Oakland; Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City
AL OUTFIELDERS: Yordan Alvarez, Houston; Byron Buxton, Minnesota; Adolis Garcia, Texas; Riley Greene, Detroit; Chas McCormick, Houston; Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago; Juan Soto, New York
AL DH: Justin Turner, Toronto

NL PITCHERS: RHP David Bednar, Pittsburgh; RHP Ryan Brasier; Los Angeles; RHP Dylan Cease, San Diego; RHP Camilo Doval, San Francisco; LHP Max Fried, Atlanta; Sonny Gray, St. Louis; LHP Shota Imanaga, Chicago; RHP Ryne Nelson, Arizona; LHP Jose Quintana, New York; LHP JoJo Romero, St. Louis; LHP Tanner Scott, Miami; LHP Blake Snell, San Francisco; LHP Justin Steele, Chicago; RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia
NL CATCHERS: William Contreras, Milwaukee; Sean Murphy, Atlanta; Will Smith, Los Angeles
NL INFIELDERS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles; Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati; Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles; Nolan Jones, Colorado; Francisco Lindor, New York; Ketel Marte, Arizona; Matt Olson, Atlanta; Austin Riley, Atlanta; Trea Turner, Philadelphia
NL OUTFIELDERS: Ronald Acuna Jr, Atlanta Corbin Carroll, Arizona; Sal Frelick, Milwaukee; Michael Harris II, Atlanta; Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles; James Outman, Los Angeles; Lane Thomas, Washington; Christian Yelich, Milwaukee
NL DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles

LEGEND
Bold indicates voted in as starter
Italics indicate injury replacement
Underline indicates injured; will not participate

Home Run Derby participants also announced: Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr will be back to defend his 2023 Home Run Derby title, as the eight participants were announced at the end of last night's All-Star roster reveal show.

Despite being the defending champion, Guerrero will be pitted against Minnesota's Byron Buxton in the first round, with Guerrero the number-eight seed and Buxton the top seed. Guerrero has the fewest number of homeruns (19) in the field, whereas Buxton's thirty-five is the league's high-water mark. Detroit's Spencer Torkelson, who is a non-roster invitee from the Tigers, is the seventh-seeded competitor going against Matt Olson of Atlanta.

On the other side of the bracket, Mookie Betts and hometown favorite Adolis Garcia will square off in one quarterfinal, while fourth-seeded Joey Gallo of the Nationals and Chicago's Christopher Morel as the five-seed will face each other in a matchup of non-roster invitees.

Guardians' Clase, Dodgers' Freeman placed on IL: As noted above, the All-Star Game will be down two more players, as Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman were placed on the injured list this morning, less than twenty-four hours after the teams were revealed last night.

Replacements haven't been named for them yet, but are expected in the coming days. Freeman was just one of two NL first basemen named to the squad, so it seems logical that another first baseman will be selected with Philadelphia's Bryce Harper and Josh Bell of Miami as potential choices.

The All-Star Game is on July 16th at 7:30 PM Eastern from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas; with the Home Run Derby taking place the night before at 7 PM Eastern.

OTHER HEADLINES
L.A. sweeps MLB PotW honors
Defending NL champion Arizona moves into top three of updated Power Rankings
Jays acquire RHP Julian Merryweather from Chicago for IF Addison Barger, Marcos de la Rosa
Cubs' Neris off to Atlanta for RHP Matthew Thompson, Cade Kuehler
Giants, Mariners strike deal to send LHP Tayler Saucedo to San Francisco
Diamondbacks trade for RHP Andrew Kittredge from St. Louis

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Royals News (7/8)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Perez, Witt to represent Royals in Arlington; Royals, Rox talk trades?

By artoodeetoo
07/08/2024

TOP STORIES
Witt gets in on player ballot; no other Royals selected: By virtue of the player ballot, Bobby Witt Jr was named to the AL All-Star squad for the first time in his career, as he appeared on 72% of the ballots that were distributed to each team. Corey Seager of Texas, considered to be the other real contender at shortstop, appeared on only 51% of the ballots.

Other Royals who received player ballot votes were third baseman Maikel Garcia (19%), first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (8%), and outfielders Hunter Renfroe (5%) and Kyle Isbel (4%). Teams are not allowed to vote for their own players, but a 'unanimous' vote is still possible amongst the other fourteen clubs in each league for a given player.

"We'll have two guys down in Texas; I think we should have one or two more, but the fans and the league have spoken, and I'm confident they'll go down there and do well," manager Matt Quatraro said.

Witt also said his phone blew up with all sorts of texts from friends, former high school teammates, but the one that meant the most to him came from his dad.

"To be able to go to my first All-Star Game in my home state, that's tough to beat," he said, choking back a little bit of emotion as he spoke to reporters. "I know that my dad never had a chance to go to one when he played, so to be representing the Royals down there with him on the field is going to be something truly memorable."

Royals talking trades with other contender? The Royals and Rockies might have played on the field over the weekend, but apparently there is some scuttle that the two teams also discussed bolstering each other's rosters for the playoff run off the field over the weekend in Denver.

Rockies senior VP/GM Bill Schmidt and Royals GM J.J. Picollo share a common thread -- Schmidt's son, Matthew, was an infielder in the Royals' system in 2020 and 2021, but after being released halfway through the 2021 season, decided to hang it up.

Picollo, at the time the Royals' assistant GM who oversaw the draft along with current VP of scouting Danny Ontiveros, signed Schmidt to a free-agent deal following the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft out of the University of Michigan.

Colorado did trade veteran reliever Daniel Bard to the Blue Jays last week, but that cleared roughly $5 million off the books for the Rockies, so they could feasibly look to add additional salary to bolster the club.

As in most seasons, Colorado is amongst the best offensive teams in the league; but they actually have a solid bullpen, as they have a top-ten unit league-wide there. Where they could look to improve is the rotation, where they rank 23rd in starter's ERA.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals recall IF Mike Brosseau from Triple-A for season debut along with RHP Colin Selby; option C Austin Nola, RHP John McMillon

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Kansas City at St. Louis (7/9 -- 7/10)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: St. Louis Cardinals

By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 11th, 2024

Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals
Jul 9, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (50-44)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	6	1
St. Louis Cardinals (40-53)	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	4	X	7	11	0
W: Matthew Liberatore (1-0) L: Josh Taylor (0-2) S: None

Tuesday, July 9th, 2024
Despite a 3-for-4 performance, Freddy Fermin received little help elsewhere from the lineup or the pitching, as the Royals dropped the first game of a two-game set with the in-state Cardinals by a 7-2 score.

Fermin singled in his first two at-bats before launching a two-run homerun against Steven Matz in the sixth, accounting for both Royals' tallies on the day. He came up in the eighth inning with a chance to tie the game or take the lead with a homerun, but flew out to deep center to end the inning.

Seth Lugo was solid in his final start prior to the All-Star break, going six innings, striking out four with two walks and two earned runs allowed. He scattered five hits, with only one of them going for extra bases, a fourth-inning double from Willson Contreras.

However, the bullpen imploded in the late innings, as Angel Zerpa had a scoreless innings streak snapped at 9 2/3, but it didn't stop at just one earned run. He surrendered three earned runs in his one inning of work, putting the game out of reach late.

Maikel Garcia, Hunter Renfroe, and Salvador Perez each collected one hit each, with Renfroe and Perez each drawing a walk in addition to their singles.

Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals
Jul 10, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (50-45)	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	1	2	6	1
St. Louis Cardinals (41-53)	0	1	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	1	2	7	11	0
W: Matthew Liberatore (2-0) L: Angel Zerpa (1-3) S: None

Wednesday, July 10th, 2024
Kansas City's road woes continued into the second of two games against their cross-state neighbors, as they dropped their fifth in a row overall, and eighth straight road contest by an 8-7 count in eleven innings.

The five-game skid matches their longest one of the year, as they lost five straight from May 24th through the 28th.

This one actually looked like it was headed for a loss prior to extras, as the Royals were down 5-2 heading into the eighth inning. However, they scored three in the top of the eighth to tie the game, capped off by a two-run single from Hunter Renfroe. Freddy Fermin's bases loaded walk preceded Renfroe's single, allowing Salvador Perez to score.

However, the bullpen continues to get pummeled in the late innings, as they blew not one, but two save chances; and continue to show a stunning inability to miss bats in the last handful of weeks. Starter Brady Singer struck out only three in 5 2/3 innings, but the bullpen walked three and struck out only one in five total innings pitched.

"Having that runner on second in extras, you have to come out and pitch a little more strategically," said manager Matt Quatraro. "It's really important to come out and keep that runner from moving to third base with less than two outs."

UP NEXT: at Boston Red Sox (7/12 -- 7/14)

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MLB News (7/11)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Two more All-Star injury replacements named

By MLB.com staff
07/11/2024

TOP STORIES
Astros' Brown, Phillies' Bohm named as replacements: The number of All-Stars is now up to seventy-one, as the league office named Houston right-hander Hunter Brown and Phillies infielder Alec Bohm as injury replacements for Emmanuel Clase of Cleveland and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers. It's the first All-Star selection for both players.

Brown is a curious pick because there are other relievers that have better numbers and would allow for more representation with clubs with fewer All-Stars, but his pick is not without some merit -- he's allowed just one earned run over his last 21 1/3 innings, striking out twenty-eight and walking just six in that span. He also has some starting experience, having made five starts with a 4.66 ERA before moving to the bullpen full-time, so he's an option that can go multiple innings.

Also, one might wonder why someone like Bryce Harper wasn't picked over his Phillies teammate; or even someone like Josh Bell, but Bohm is just a hair away from having enough plate appearances to rank second in the league in hitting, and his OPS is nearly 70 points higher than Harper's (.848 to .777). His OPS is also higher than Bell's .835. Bohm has played mainly third base this year, but has first base experience in past seasons, and is a right-handed bat that can balance out the lefty-heavy NL roster.

Kiermaier, Guardians agree to major-league deal: Roughly a week after being released by Toronto, veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was signed by the Guardians to a pro-rated one-year major league contract. Myles Straw, who signed an extension through 2028 a few years ago, was designated to make room for Kiermaier.

With Estevan Florial on the injured list, the veteran gives them some solid production from the left side against righties, and he's still an above-average defender. He's been worth 1 OAA (Outs Above Average) and 1.1 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) this season, which is decent, but not at the level he's been in the past.

OTHER HEADLINES
Reds add pitching depth with acquisition of RHP Michael Kelly from Oakland
Braves' Ozuna sees hit streak reach twenty games in 4-2 win over Arizona on Wednesday

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Royals News (7/11)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Kudrna earns another honor

By artoodeetoo
07/11/2024

TOP STORIES
Kudrna selected to Futures Game: Already having been an All-Star at the High-A level in the Midwest League, Royals pitching prospect Ben Kudrna will now head to Arlington to represent the Royals in the Futures Game on Sunday night to kick off All-Star week.

"I'm really excited to get down there, and if they call my number on Sunday, I'll be ready to go," he said. "I don't think I'd pitch more than an inning, but it's pretty neat to just be recognized as amongst the best the minor leagues have to offer."

He's the lone Royals representative, and it's unclear if he'll pitch as his last start was on July 7th, with his next start being pushed back to accommodate his selection to the American League squad.

As the second-ranked Royals prospect, he's making a strong push to move up prospect lists over the winter, as he's posted a solid 3.23 ERA in 76 1/3 innings of work, striking out ninety-one to just twenty-five walks.

However, with the Royals in contention for a playoff spot, he's also been talked about as a potential trade chip to be moved for major league help at the deadline. Historically, the Royals have been a franchise well short on home-grown pitching, so to me, that would appear to be an unwise decision.

"I can't worry about that at the moment, all I can do is go out and continue to pitch the same way that I've done all season long," he said. "If I'm traded, then that's just the business side of the game that we may all have to deal with at some point."

Melendez re-called from Omaha; Brosseau optioned back to Triple-A: It was a brief stay with the Royals for Mike Brosseau, as the veteran infielder was optioned after just one start with the Royals, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. He didn't play in last night's game, an 8-7 loss in eleven innings.

In his place is MJ Melendez, who slashed .314/.379/.608 in a quick, just-over-two-week stint in Omaha to try and get back on track. He rejoins a Royals squad that has lost five straight, and twelve of their last seventeen road contests going back to the beginning of June.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Final Baseball America mock has Royals taking Florida LHP/1B Jac Caglianone with sixth overall selection

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Kansas City at Boston (7/12 -- 7/14)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Boston Red Sox

By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 15th, 2024

Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox
Jul 12, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (50-46)	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	4	11	0
Boston Red Sox (50-44)	0	0	0	1	0	3	2	0	X	6	11	1
W: Chris Martin (4-1) L: Michael Wacha (9-4) S: Kenley Jansen (18)

Friday, July 12th, 2024
The Royals' losing streak reached a season-high six games, dropping a 6-4 decision to Boston to open the final series of the first half in Fenway. The Royals' 9-1 homestand seems like a distant memory, as the half-a-dozen losses have nearly erased the gains from that stretch of games.

"We're just not putting complete games together," said manager Matt Quatraro, a bit dejected. "When we get the bats going, we can't execute on the mound. Or, when we execute on the mound, we can't consistently string together hits. It just seems right now we're waiting around for a homerun or two to bail us out."

Kansas City got on the board first with Michael Massey's first homerun of the season, a solo homerun in the second inning.

Much like their loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday, it looked headed for a certain loss before the Royals plated three runs in the seventh. Two batters after Bobby Witt drove in a run on a double play, Salvador Perez launched his 20th homerun of the season to tie the game at four.

But the bullpen immediately let in two runs in the bottom of the inning; one of them being charged to Michael Wacha, who allowed five earned runs over six-plus innings. The first three hitters in the seventh reached safely, chasing Wacha from the game. Colin Selby, his replacement, surrendered a single to Triston Casas but was able to get the first two outs before Josh Taylor replaced him to face Marcelo Mayer.

Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox
Jul 13, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (50-47)	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	8	0
Boston Red Sox (51-44)	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	3	5	0
W: Brayan Bello (8-6) L: Kris Bubic (0-2) S: Kenley Jansen (19)

Saturday, July 13th, 2024
With six innings of three-run ball, lefty Kris Bubic put the Royals in a good position to win, but they couldn't capitalize on some opportunities early against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello as they fell 3-2, their seventh loss in a row.

Bubic allowed just four hits, but they were all extra base hits, with a double, two Jarren Duran triples, and a homerun from Vaughn Grissom. Chris Stratton and Josh Taylor each spun a scoreless inning in relief of Bubic to finish out the game.

Michael Massey was responsible for both Royals' runs in this game, hitting a sac fly in the second and his second homerun in as many games in the seventh. Kyle Isbel had men on second and third with two outs in the second after Massey's sac fly, but flew out to center to end the inning.

Additionally, Salvador Perez ended a rally in the third with a double play, the first of two times he ended a rally by grounding into a twin killing.

"I think the break is coming at a good time for us," manager Matt Quatraro mused. "It will be a good chance for us to regroup and get ready for the final home stretch of games."

Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox
Jul 14, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (51-47)	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	4	8	0
Boston Red Sox (51-45)	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	3	9	0
W: James McArthur (3-1) L: Brennan Bernardino (5-5) S: John Schreiber (5)

Sunday, July 14th, 2024
The drought is finally over, as the Royals received some timely hitting and good bullpen work to post a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox, staving off another sweep on the road, and helping the Royals to keep pace in the divisional and wildcard races heading into the break.

Freddy Fermin's homerun in the top of the ninth was the game-winning hit, coming against Brennan Bernardino. It was Fermin's seventh homerun of the season, and the fifth homerun that he's hit since June 23rd.

They've slipped to 3.5 back of the surprising Detroit Tigers in the division, including a two-game deficit to Cleveland for second place. But they remain just one game back of the final wildcard spot with roughly two months to go.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the fourth against Royals starter Cole Ragans, thanks to RBI hits from Vaughn Grissom and Enmanuel Valdez. Otherwise, Ragans was solid, allowing just those two runs in 5 2/3 innings, walking just one with seven strikeouts.

Salvador Perez, who is heading to Arlington today to start in the All-Star Game for the American League, hit his 21st homerun of the season to push the Royals in front, 3-2. It was a three-run homerun, and tied him for the league lead amongst catchers with the Angels' Logan O'Hoppe, also an All-Star.

"Coming out with a win today is just so huge," manager Matt Quatraro said with a sigh of relief. "I think the mental mindset of just that one win makes a huge difference, over going in to the break with eight straight losses."

UP NEXT: vs Chicago White Sox (7/19 -- 07/21)

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MLB News (7/15)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Round 1 of the draft in the books; 28-of-39 selections out of college

By MLB.com staff
07/15/2024

TOP STORIES
Georgia's Condon goes 1-1: Cleveland made Georgia's Charlie Condon the draft's top selection on Sunday night, taking the six-foot-six outfielder and Golden Spikes Award winner without much hesitation. West Virginia's J.J. Wetherholt and Oregon State's Travis Bazzana, both considered high-contact second basemen at the next level, went second and third to the Reds and Rockies, respectively.

Two more college players went with the fourth and fifth picks as Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz went to Oakland at number four, and the first real surprise of the draft was LSU third baseman Tommy White going fifth to the White Sox. No publication had White going in the top ten picks, let alone in the top five. Kurtz drew comps to Matt Olson, a former first-round pick of the Oakland A's who is now one of the most feared power hitters in all of baseball.

"You have two big-time college arms right there for the taking, and you pass them up for Tommy White," was the reaction from MLB.com's Jim Callis. "I like him as a first-round prospect, but I'm surprised you take him with these two arms at the top of the board."

Kansas City was the beneficiary of the White Sox' selection of White, taking Wake Forest righty Chase Burns and making him the top collegiate pitcher taken. The other top pitcher, Hagen Smith of Arkansas, went eighth to the Angels.

Nine of the first ten picks were collegiate players, with Konnor Griffin, a high school outfielder, going seventh to the Cardinals.

Other notable selections on the first day were two-way player and Florida Gator Jac Caglianone to the Pirates with the ninth pick, high school infielder Bryce Rainer, who went 14th to the Cubs, and southpaw pitcher Cam Caminiti, a cousin of the late big-leaguer Ken Caminiti, going 18th overall to Tampa Bay.

Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery, a consensus top-ten pick, slipped out of the top ten to 12th overall to the Boston Red Sox. The switch-hitting Montgomery has one of the best power tools in the draft, but some consternation about his swing-and-miss and where he'd fit defensively were cited as reasons he could fall.

"Boston's a great fit for Montgomery, as in either corner at Fenway, you don't need to be a speed demon to play there," said Callis of the pick at number-twelve. "He has an absolute howitzer of an arm, and he's the kind of hitter that will thrive with the short porches in left and right in that park."

A 'switch-pitcher' also made the first round, with Mississippi State's Jurrangelo Cijntje being taken 23rd overall by the Dodgers. He'll likely have to pick one side or the other at some point, but until then, some think he could pull off double-duty in the lower levels until later on, when his role in the majors is a bit more defined.

The second round is set to begin tonight at 6 PM Eastern time on MLB Network, as the A's, Royals, and Rockies kick off the proceedings with the first three selections of the night.

All-Star storylines to watch: With the All-Star Game roughly thirty-six hours away, some of the storylines to look out for are:

Two players have been ruled out for the game with day-to-day issues. Houston's Yordan Alvarez (foot) is day-to-day with a foot injury, suffered in yesterday's contest with the Rangers, a 3-2 win. He will travel to Arlington, but won't be available even to pinch-hit, let alone start. Also, Shohei Ohtani (illness) is not going to play, with both of these reports coming from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney.

With the cut-off date for replacements already passed by, the league is not sending any replacement players to Arlington to take their place. Per Rosenthal, there also hasn't been any word on who will replace them in the starting lineup, as it will likely be a game-time decision.

AL manager Bruce Bochy and NL manager Torey Lovullo have named their starting pitchers. Kevin Gausman and Blake Snell will be the starters for tomorrow night's game, with Gausman tying for the AL lead in victories (11) with fellow All-Stars Corbin Burnes and Framber Valdez, while leading the AL with 166 strikeouts. Snell leads all of baseball with 187 strikeouts, and is second in the NL only to Jose Quintana with a 2.80 ERA (Quintana's is 2.67).

OTHER HEADLINES
AL bests NL 6-4 in Futures Game; Guardians farmhand DeLauter named MVP
Home Run Derby to kick off at 7 PM Eastern tonight on ESPN
Angels' Schanuel, Mets' J.D. Martinez selected as Players of the Week

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Royals News (7/15)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Royals come away with two Wake Forest products on first day

By artoodeetoo
07/15/2024

TOP STORIES
Royals select Burns with sixth pick: Before the draft, it was a prevailing thought that both of Hagen Smith and Chase Burns, considered the top two collegiate pitching prospects in the draft by far, would both be gone by the time the Royals picked sixth overall. Nearly every mock had one or both of them gone in the first five selections, some of them in the top three.

It didn't work out that way, as both Smith and Burns fell to the Royals at number-six, leaving the Royals in a good situation -- they could choose the better of the two they liked. They went with the hard-throwing, higher-upside Burns over Smith, who is considered more of a finished product. Smith would eventually go two selections later to the Angels at number-eight overall.

"We knew going in, we wanted to get a college pitcher if at all possible," Royals amateur scouting director Brian Bridges told MLB.com's Jim Callis. "When both of them fell to our slot, we were ecstatic because we were going to come away with a guy we really, really liked. It's a shame we couldn't take both, perhaps in a perfect world we could, but we've had lots of conversations with the staff at Wake Forest, and what they're doing with the pitching there is mind-blowing."

In fact, they made it a two-fer from Wake Forest with their second pick of the day, taking lefty Josh Hartle with the 39th overall selection, and the last pick of the first day. Hartle is a much, much different pitcher than his Demon Deacons teammate, as his velocity is in the low 90's with much more movement and command, rather than just pure power stuff.

While the Royals garnered praise for the Burns pick, the Hartle pick was met with mixed reviews.

"They could have gone a bit more upside with someone like Boston Bateman or Casan Evans, but Hartle is a safe pick," said MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. "He's someone that could rise through pretty quickly, but he had a down year this last year at Wake -- Kansas City, if they can figure out why the backslide this year and get him turned around, I like him in the majors sooner rather than later."

Still others liked the pick a little bit more, with Kiley McDaniel of ESPN saying that Hartle could end up as a middle-of-the-rotation starter with a few more ticks on his two-seamer.

"His arm angle is going to create so many problems for opposing hitters; it very much reminds me of Chris Sale, except without the velocity he had coming out of college," McDaniel noted. "If he can get his two-seamer up to where it's sitting 93, 94, he's going to be a real pain for other teams. If he can't do that, it limits his ceiling a bit, but he'd still make a solid rotation back-end guy or a swing man because the guy throws nothing straight. It's all movement."

Royals option Loftin; re-call Alexander: As the first half of the season winds down, the Royals have made a couple of roster moves. After starting the season on the active roster, reserve infielder Nick Loftin was optioned to Omaha to make room for C.J. Alexander. Alexander is the older brother of Diamondbacks farmhand Blaze Alexander.

He's missed some time with a quad injury this season, but when he's been in the lineup, he's been very good down in Omaha in posting a .979 OPS in 139 plate appearances, with a dozen doubles, a triple, and nine homeruns. He also has one of the strongest non-pitching arms in the entire organization, as he's been clocked at well over 90 MPH in the field with the ability to play in the outfield as well as at third and first base.

On the other hand, Loftin has seen his production steadily dwindle over the last month, as he left May with an .810 OPS (111 OPS+), but now has a .715 OPS, which comes out to a 92 OPS+. In addition, his defense has been below-average at every position he's played, including first base. In sum, he's been worth -5 OAA, and -5.4 DRS in stints between first, second, shortstop, third, and left field.

The emergence of a healthy Michael Massey has also been a factor, as he has been productive with both the bat and the glove when in the lineup. However, with the move to bring Alexander up, manager Matt Quatraro will interchange he, Massey, and Maikel Garcia between second and third base.

"We're going to take a look at Maikel playing some second base for us," he said in his Monday press conference. "He hasn't played it much since I've been here, but he has all of the tools to be pretty good defensively there."

Garcia, like Loftin, has cooled off considerably in the last month and change. The high-water mark for his OPS was .814 back on June 5th, but he's dropped down to .711 as of today, with a 91 OPS+. He also hasn't homered since May, and playing a position where power is a premium, he's dead-last amongst MLB third basemen in OPS and extra base hits.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals promote Double-A homeruns leader Josh Lester to Triple-A
Kudrna struggles in lone inning in Futures Game as American League squad wins 6-4
Mozzicato to return to Quad Cities rotation after rehab start in Single-A Columbia

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Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Olson wins first Derby title; Day 2 of draft over

By MLB.com staff
07/16/2024

TOP STORIES
Olson tops Betts to win 2024 Derby: Atlanta's Matt Olson out-slugged Mookie Betts of the Dodgers in the finals of the 2024 Home Run Derby, taking home the title for the first time in his career. Olson hit fifty-five homeruns over the competition, including twenty to lead off the final round. Betts could only muster a dozen dingers in the final round after hitting thirty-four through the first two.

"This competition is hard, it wears you down over the duration of it," Betts said, a bit exasperated. "But I'd do it again 100 out of 100 times if they asked me. It's a ton of fun, and the fans really get into it."

Betts knocked off hometown favorite Adolis Garcia 18-16 in the first round before ousting defending champion Vladimir Guerrero Jr 15-13 in the second round to reach the final. Olson defeated Detroit's Spencer Torkelson 18-14 in the first round, and then edged Joey Gallo 17-16 to reach the finals.

"Standing here with this award has been a dream of mine for a long time," Olson said after the event. "Though I want to give props to Mookie (Betts) and the other competitors, I'm in awe of the power-hitting talent that's in this league right now."

Day Two of the Draft concludes: With 315 selections in the books, the 2024 MLB Draft now moves on to the third day. After having four players chosen in the first thirty-nine selections, including the College World Series' Most Outstanding Player Dylan Dreiling, the national champion Tennessee Volunteers had three more taken in the draft's second day, with pitcher Aaron Combs, outfielder Kavares Tears, and first baseman Blake Burke taken.

After the selections of third baseman Tommy White and pitcher Thatcher Hurd in the first round, LSU had eight additional players taken on the second day, which was the most of any school. Also, high school players with LSU commitments were taken high, including pitchers Boston Bateman and Cam Caminiti, along with catcher Cade Arrambide were all taken in the first two rounds.

Other schools with strong showings in the draft's second day were Florida State, who had four players taken on the draft's second day, with two selected on the first day; and Virgnia with eight players taken on the second day.

Day Three of the draft will begin at 6 PM Eastern and will be streamed live on MLB.com, with the third day generally taking a much shorter amount of time due to the lower allotted time per selection. Notable players that are still on the board at this point are MLB.com's 81st ranked player, high school shortstop Tyler Bell, and high school left-handed pitcher Tomas Valincius, the draft's 107th-ranked player.

OTHER HEADLINES
Royals acquire RHP Hunter Harvey from the Nats for minor league OF River Town
Baltimore, St. Louis agree on deal to send RHP Miles Mikolas, Gordon Graceffo to the Orioles for minor league OF Mishael Deson

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Royals News (7/16)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Royals get Harvey from the Nats; front office preps for Day Three

By artoodeetoo
07/16/2024

TOP STORIES
Royals opt for additional college depth on Day 2: The Royals had nine additional selections on the second day, and they went decidedly in favor of additional college players as the draft is now on the third and final day, beginning tonight.

"We think we found a pretty solid mix of bats and arms here," said Brian Bridges, who is in his first season as part of the team that oversees the draft. "The second and third days are about building additional depth, and we've done that here."

Their second-round pick, Carter Johnson, is a left-handed hitting infielder from Alabama who has already drawn comparisons to Gunnar Henderson, although some feel he's likely headed to third or second base instead of sticking at shortstop.

They took another high school infielder in the fifth round, drafting local product Trey Snyder, a Tennessee commitment who played his high school ball at Liberty North High in Liberty, Mo, a suburb of Kansas City.

Colorado high schooler Trey Gregory-Alford was the team's fourth-round pick, a six-foot-five, 230-pound right-hander that is already touching 96 MPH on his fastball, but his best pitch may be a slider and a developing changeup.

Among their six college selections were four pitchers, an outfielder, and a catcher. That catcher, Luke Heyman, comes out of the University of Florida with a strong defensive reputation.

One of the more intriguing players they selected was right-hander Yoel Tejeda, Jr., a six-foot-eight righty out of Florida State in the ninth round. His numbers were not impressive in his only season with the Seminoles, striking out fifteen with fourteen walks in 19 2/3 innings as a sophomore, but still has a ton of room to grow and improve on an already-impressive heater that can get into the mid-90's with ease.

Royals acquire Harvey from the Nationals: In the waning hours of the night after the All-Star Game, the Royals swung a deal to bring Hunter Harvey over from the Nationals for Double-A outfielder River Town, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

Harvey has a 3.97 ERA in 34 1/3 innings of work, collecting eighteen saves in twenty-three chances and striking out 30% of opposing hitters this season. Town, a 15th-round selection in 2021, is having a career year in 2024, with fourteen homeruns and an OPS of 1.002 in 266 plate appearances with the NW Arkansas Naturals. At twenty-five as of July 8th, he's a bit old for a prospect, but could be in line to contribute to the Nationals' outfield in 2025 and beyond.

It's also a great move from a roster standpoint beyond 2024, as they'll have team control of Harvey through next season, as well. That said, general manager J.J. Picollo they are still looking to upgrade the roster prior to the deadline.

"That's something we're absolutely looking into," he said matter-of-factly. "Although, we're not going to rush into something just because conventional wisdom says we should. We could still use a bat, maybe another bullpen arm, but we'll see how the next ten to twenty days shake out."

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
BWJ on first All-Star experience -- "What a thrill in front of my family and friends"
Royals to look for additional pitching, infield depth per scouting director on third day

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MLB News (7/17)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
AL wins yet another All-Star Game; trade market keeps churning on

By MLB.com staff
07/17/2024

TOP STORIES
American League wins thriller: Making your first All-Star Game? Check. Hitting your first All-Star Game homerun? Check. Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe's pinch-hit solo homerun lifted the AL to a 6-5 victory over the National League, and the Rangers' battery of Jonah Heim and Jose Leclerc shut the National League down in the ninth. Despite O'Hoppe's late-inning heroics, the MVP of the game went to Kansas City's Salvador Perez, who went 3-for-3 with a solo homerun and three RBI to pace the AL's offense.

The AL All-Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead after just one half-inning, with Gunnar Henderson leading off the Junior Circuit's offensive attack with a solo homerun in the first, with Perez hitting a solo homerun just three batters later. The Kansas City catcher also drove in single runs in the third and fourth inning, driving in half of the American League side's runs.

"If it weren't for Jonah, I'd want Salvador Perez on my team," said AL manager Bruce Bochy. "Back in 2014, I was managing the Giants, and he wasn't really the player he is now; but the way that even at that young age how that team followed his lead during the World Series and pushed us to the brink, I knew that Kansas City had something special on their hands and they should do what it takes to keep him around for a long time. They've done that, and it's paid off for them even after some down times since then."

Last season, the NL stopped a nine-game winning streak by the NL in a 3-2 win at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Despite being down 5-0, the NL would battle back and tie the game at five in the eighth inning on a run-scoring single by Austin Riley. Houston reliever Hunter Brown was charged with all five earned runs, with several of them coming after he was replaced by Danny Coulombe of the Orioles.

Jose Leclerc of the host Rangers entered the game with two outs in the eighth, getting out of the inning on one pitch with a pop-out to shortstop. He stayed on for the ninth, striking out all three hitters he faced in the inning to pick up the victory.

"I told Jose before the game, you're the guy if the game is on the line in the late innings," Bochy said. "He also has a real comfort level with Jonah, and he was going to be the battery mate in that inning if it came down to that."

Helsley on the move from St. Louis: One of the most coveted relievers on the trade market is headed to a new city, as the Diamondbacks have outbid other teams such as the Mets and Braves to acquire Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals.

Infielder Jose Fernandez and pitcher Alfred Morillo, along with cash considerations, are headed back to St. Louis in return for the right-hander.

Incumbent closer Kevin Ginkel is 24-for-27 in save opportunities, but has struggled in recent weeks with seven earned runs over his last six outings, covering 5 1/3 innings.

On the other hand, the St. Louis fire sale keeps trucking along as Miles Mikolas, Andrew Kittredge, Giovanny Gallegos, and now Helsley have been dealt away.

There's speculation that others such as Jojo Romero and Ryan Fernandez are also being shopped to contenders, as well as veteran position players Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, and Brandon Crawford.

OTHER HEADLINES
Five trades that should happen right now
Three teams that could surprise in second half; three that will disappoint

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Royals News (7/17)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Third day of draft wraps up

By artoodeetoo
07/17/2024

TOP STORY
Royals finalize draft; two players already signed: Just a day after the Royals wrapped up the 2024 draft, two players have already signed their bonus sheets, both college seniors -- UC Irvine outfielder Caden Kendle and University of New Orleans infielder Myles Austin. Both signed for $100,000, which is below the threshold for counting against the bonus pool.

Kansas City took some swings on high school players, with pitchers Ryan McPherson (Mississippi State commitment) and Jackson Sanders (Auburn) in the 12th and 13th rounds, along with infielder Cameron Bagwell (Michigan) in the 20th round.

There is recent precedent for the Royals signing later-round high school picks to sizeable bonuses, with Austin Charles signing for $430,000 out of the 20th round in 2022, and Stone Russell signing for $150,000 as an 18th-rounder after last season's draft.

"I think we have some real value from the third day here," said amateur scouting director Brian Bridges of the third-day haul. "Now, the real hard work begins in starting discussions with these players and their representation to get them signed as quickly as possible and in our system to begin development."

We will break down the results of the draft at a later date, and will bring you news as the draft picks sign their bonus sheets. As always, any players within the first ten rounds that don't sign will have their bonus pools reduced by the slot amount, and any picks that don't sign in the first three rounds will receive a compensatory pick in the 2025 draft.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Frank Mozzicato to return to High-A after 2 2/3 shutout frames in rehab start in Single-A
Royals GM JJ Picollo -- "We're prioritizing bullpen over offense right now"

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Chi. Sox at Kansas City (7/19 -- 7/21)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Chicago White Sox

By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 22nd, 2024

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Jul 19, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (38-61)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
Kansas City Royals (52-47)	1	3	0	2	0	0	2	2	X	10	11	0
W: Edward Cabrera (2-5) L: Garrett Crochet (9-7) S: None

Friday, July 19th, 2024
Kansas City opened the season's second half with a bang, with Bobby Witt falling a single short of the cycle in a 10-2 win over the White Sox. Edward Cabrera finally picked up his first win with the Royals after allowing just one earned run over five innings, striking out five while scattering five hits and a pair of walks. It was his second win overall this season, the other coming earlier in the season with the Marlins.

Witt went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, and a homerun -- his triple in the first inning was amazingly his first three-bagger of the season after hitting nine all of last year. Michael Massey was 2-for-3 with a couple of runs scored, and Salvador Perez hit his team-best 22nd homerun of the season.

"Man, am I happy for Eddie after today," manager Matt Quatraro beamed in his post-game interview with the local beat. "We've had trouble getting him run support, and we really came through for him in a big way today."

Royals fans also received their first look at new reliever Hunter Harvey, who is expected to be the team's closer going forward this season. He came in with one out in the ninth and a man on third, getting a sac fly from Dominic Fletcher before retiring Eloy Jimenez on a groundball out to end the game.

"I felt great, they told me to be ready today to get some work in since it's been almost a week since I've pitched," he said. "I didn't think I'd get in with such a big lead, but the limited stuff I threw felt great."

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Jul 20, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (38-62)	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	10	1
Kansas City Royals (53-47)	0	0	2	0	0	1	3	0	X	6	12	0
W: John Schreiber (3-1) L: Tanner Banks (4-4) S: Hunter Harvey (19)

Saturday, July 20th, 2024
Making his first start as a big-leaguer, recently re-called third baseman CJ Alexander went 2-for-4 with two doubles, with his second two-bagger breaking a 5-5 tie in the eighth to give the Royals a 6-5 victory over the White Sox.

New closer Hunter Harvey entered the game in the ninth to lock down the save, his first as a Royal and his 19th of the season. He worked around a one-out walk, but struck out the final two hitters he faced to leave the game-tying run at first base.

Chicago raced out to a 5-0 lead against Kris Bubic in the first three innings, including four in the fourth to finally chase him from the game. Almost immediately, the Royals began chipping away at that lead starting in the bottom of the third as Salvador Perez and Michael Massey drilled RBI singles to cut the deficit to three; and then Alexander adding another RBI double in the sixth, the first of his two hits, to trim the lead to just two.

But the seventh is where the offense shined, where pinch-hitter Dairon Blanco's two-run double tied the game at five, before Alexander delivered with the go-ahead RBI double against Tanner Banks.

"These guys just don't quit, they don't lose confidence even after getting down early in games," said manager Matt Quatraro. "There's excellent leadership in this clubhouse, from the coaching staff down to the last guy on the bench. Never a sense of defeat."

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Jul 21, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (38-63)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3
Kansas City Royals (54-47)	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	X	6	12	0
W: Brady Singer (6-6) L: Erick Fedde (3-12) S: None

Sunday, July 21st, 2024
With three more hits, including a homerun, Salvador Perez is beginning to build a strong case to be an MVP candidate as he drove in four of the team's five runs in a 5-0 shutout victory over the White Sox to complete the three-game home sweep. It's the fourth straight win for the Royals going back to the final game of their road trip to cap off the season's first half.

Bobby Witt Jr also went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, a double, and two stolen bases to back up Salvy's efforts.

But the real star of the show today might have been Brady Singer, who scattered four hits in seven shutout innings, striking out nine White Sox hitters without issuing a walk. After falling to 1-5 back on May 24th against Tampa Bay in a 3-1 loss, he's won five of his last six decisions, and the Royals are 6-3 in his starts since that game. Will Smith finished the game with two shutout innings, striking out four.

"We probably could have pushed him another inning, but up five and with him already in the mid 90's in pitch count, and Will (Smith) needed some work with lefties coming up, it was an easy decision for us to take him out," manager Matt Quatraro said of Singer. "He was fantastic, though, throwing all of his pitches in and around the zone for strikes with good movement on all of them."

Salvador Perez, who is heading to Arlington today to start in the All-Star Game for the American League, hit his 21st homerun of the season to push the Royals in front, 3-2. It was a three-run homerun, and tied him for the league lead amongst catchers with the Angels' Logan O'Hoppe, also an All-Star.

"Coming out with a win today is just so huge," manager Matt Quatraro said with a sigh of relief. "I think the mental mindset of just that one win makes a huge difference, over going in to the break with eight straight losses."

UP NEXT: vs Arizona Diamondbacks (7/22 -- 07/24)

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MLB News (7/22)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Trade market keeps churning on

By MLB.com staff
07/22/2024

TOP STORIES
Helsley on the move from St. Louis: One of the most coveted relievers on the trade market is headed to a new city, as the Diamondbacks have outbid other teams such as the Mets and Braves to acquire Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals.

Infielder Jose Fernandez and pitcher Alfred Morillo, along with cash considerations, are headed back to St. Louis in return for the right-hander. Diamondbacks incumbent closer Kevin Ginkel is 24-for-27 in save opportunities, but has struggled in recent weeks with seven earned runs over his last six outings, covering 5 1/3 innings.

On the other hand, the St. Louis fire sale keeps trucking along as Miles Mikolas, Andrew Kittredge, Giovanny Gallegos, and now Helsley have been dealt away.

There's speculation that others such as Steven Matz and Ryan Fernandez are also being shopped to contenders, as well as veteran position players Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, and Brandon Crawford.

Brewers, Mets trade spots in Power Rankings: While the Braves and Orioles held fast in the first two spots, the Milwaukee Brewers jumped a spot to third in this week's MLB.com Power Rankings, while newly-minted AL Central division leader Detroit moved up to fifth.

Toronto, San Francisco, Kansas City, Boston, and Houston rounded out the top ten, with the Astros and Royals the biggest movers.

OTHER HEADLINES
Royals' Perez, Cubs' Suzuki named Players of the Week
Braves' Ozuna now up to twenty-seven games on his hit streak
Five trades that should happen right now
Three teams that could surprise in second half; three that will disappoint

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Royals News (7/22)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Veneziano to make 2024 debut; Royals finalize undrafted free agent class

By artoodeetoo
07/22/2024

TOP STORIES
Bubic optioned; Veneziano re-called: After three poor starts sandwiched around one solid one, the Royals have decided to option Kris Bubic back to Omaha in favor of another left-hander, Anthony Veneziano, for his 2024 Royals debut. Veneziano will work out of the bullpen for the time being per manager Matt Quatraro, which means that the rotation is going back to five instead of six.

"I think, with the four days off that we had, that we can re-set a bit," he said. "Right now, we have five guys who are all pitching really well, and we can do some different things with nine guys out there instead of eight. How long we'll go with this? I don't know, but there's a good mix of lefties and righties that we can turn to now."

Right-handers Alec Marsh and Nick Anderson are also working their way through rehab assignments, so additional depth is on the way for the bullpen; but Marsh has not been impressive in his handful of outings on his assignment; and while Anderson has been solid on his rehab stint, went to the IL back in May with an 8.55 ERA.

Perez named AL Player of the Week: Perhaps buoyed by his ASG MVP performance last Tuesday night, the Royals' Salvador Perez was named as the American League Player of the Week for the week ending yesterday on the 21st.

He was 8-for-15 (.533) with three homeruns, a double, eleven RBI, and two walks as he led the Royals to four straight wins in the past week, including a win over Boston on the final day of the first half.

Royals sign a dozen free agents post-draft: In the days following the draft, the Royals have signed nine collegiate undrafted free agents, as well as a trio of minor league free agents. The free agent class was announced in a tweet from the Royals' official account, and also posted to the team's Facebook account.

Pitcher Jojo Booker, along with outfielders Alex Toral and Mike Nyisztor were signed and placed on the Single-A Columbia squad, while the other nine have not yet been assigned. The short-season rookie league in Arizona is over, but perhaps a handful of these unassigned players will make their way to the full-season squads at some point.

Pitchers: Harrison Cook, RHP; Braedin Hunt, RHP; Sam Hliboki, RHP; Luke Wagner, LHP
Catchers: None
Infielders: Peyton Chatagnier, Cam Hill, Patrick Music, Billy Rivera
Outfielders: Mo Hampton, Jr.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Undrafted 2023 reliever to make debut in High-A this week after hot start in Single-A
NW Arkansas infield prospect Cayden Wallace to come off injured list