A few days ago I took a look at some of the headlines surrounding the White Sox. Today I’ll present a rundown of what’s happening with the Royals, simply because they seem to have been the division rival with the most news in the past week. So let’s get started.
- Who’s hot: Billy Butler (.423 AVG), Eric Hosmer (.333 AVG), Alex Gordon (.310 AVG), Luis Mendoza (0.82 in 10.2 IP), Jose Mijares (0.00 ERA in 4.1 IP)
- Who’s not: Jeff Francoeur (.160 AVG), Mike Moustakas (.238 AVG), Felipe Paulino (7.20 ERA in 5.0 IP), Bruce Chen (9.64 ERA in 4.2 IP), Joakim Soria (12.00 ERA in 3.0 IP)
- The Royals lost their prized catching prospect Salvador Perez to a torn meniscus and knee surgery that will leave him out at least 2-3 months. Another one of their catchers, Manuel Pina, also had knee surgery and is out for a prolonged time, leaving Brayan Peña as the only catcher on their 40-man roster. They have Max Ramirez on their Triple A team, but now news has broken that they’ve made an offer to Pudge Rodriguez. He is currently weighing the offer, according to Jon Heyman.
- The Royals have signed their shortstop Alcides Escobar to a 4-year extension.
- The aforementioned Luis Mendoza, who has had cups of coffee in the big leagues but not much sustained success, is having a hot spring and is making a strong case to land a spot in the Royals’ rotation.
- Mike Moustakas has been struggling at the plate, but he has been suffering from first a knee injury and then a stomach virus.
- As you might have noticed, closer Joakim Soria has had some rough outings.
