The Royals introduced a sequence of roster strikes immediately. Infielder Michael Massey was reinstated from the injured record and the membership chosen the contract of infielder CJ Alexander. In corresponding strikes, the membership positioned infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier on the 10-day injured record on account of a proper thumb pressure and optioned outfielder Nelson Velázquez to Triple-A Omaha. To open a 40-man spot for Alexander, left-hander Jake Brentz was designated for project.
Velázquez, now 25, was acquired from the Cubs in a deadline commerce final yr with reliever José Cuas going the opposite method. It appeared like that deal was going to work out brilliantly for the Royals, as Velázquez hit 14 residence runs in 40 video games after the deal final yr.
That appeared to set him as much as play a distinguished position in Kansas Metropolis going ahead nevertheless it hasn’t performed out that method. He has added eight extra residence runs this yr however is slashing simply .200/.274/.366 general. A part of that may very well be his .237 batting common on balls in play however he’s additionally not squaring it up like final yr. He had a 21.4% barrel charge in 2023 however that determine is down to eight.8% this yr. His common exit velocity has dropped by virtually three miles per hour. His exhausting hit charge is down greater than ten factors and his infield fly ball charge has greater than doubled.
The Royals have been good general this yr, at present at 42-35 and simply half a recreation outdoors of a playoff spot. Nonetheless, their outfield has been their weakest hyperlink, one thing that MLBTR’s Steve Adams checked out final month. Velázquez is a poor fielder and doesn’t present worth on the basepaths, so the drop-off on the plate has made him a giant downside on the roster this yr.
He’ll head to Omaha to attempt to get issues again on observe for now, although this transfer may even have implications for him down the road. He got here into this season together with his service time depend at one yr and 13 days, that means he would have completed the marketing campaign at 2.013 if he had stayed up for everything. If this project lingers for quite a lot of weeks, it’s going to push again his trajectory to free company and/or arbitration. Coincidentally, Cuas additionally struggled together with his new membership and was designated for project by the Cubs, getting claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays over the weekend.
As for Alexander, he will get to the majors simply earlier than his twenty eighth birthday, which is developing in July. A Twentieth-round decide of Atlanta in 2018, he got here to the Royals through the 2022 commerce that additionally despatched Drew Waters to Kansas Metropolis. He’s hitting .323/.369/.555 in Triple-A this yr, which is at the least partially inflated by a .400 batting common on balls in play, however is spectacular nonetheless.
He has performed all 4 nook spots this yr, however extra third base than wherever else. He’s within the lineup on the scorching nook tonight with Maikel Garcia having been moved over to second base and Massey within the designated hitter slot. Massey will stick within the DH spot for now, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com on X. He landed on the IL final month on account of a low again ligament sprain and says he feels adequate to swing a bat however not take the sector. With Massey and Frazier each unable to play second, maybe Garcia will get common time there with Alexander at third, although Garcia may additionally return to the recent nook with Nick Loftin and Garrett Hampson taking a while on the keystone.
To get Alexander onto the 40-man, Brentz has been got rid of. The 29-year-old lefty had an encouraging main league debut again in 2021, making 72 appearances with a 3.66 earned run common. His 13.3% stroll charge was fairly excessive however he struck out 27.3% of batters confronted and saved 49% of balls in play on the bottom.
Sadly, he’s had a difficult time since then. He landed on the injured record early in 2022 and in the end required Tommy John surgical procedure that summer season. He was non-tendered on the finish of that season and re-signed on a two-year deal. He began a rehab project in August of 2023 however was shut down with a lat pressure, unable to return to the massive league membership.
Right here in 2024, he suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring pressure in the course of March, placing him again on the IL to start out the season. He began a rehab project a few month later and was optioned to Omaha when reinstated off the IL.
The outcomes have been abysmal up to now, as he has a 12.71 ERA by 17 innings on the farm this yr. He has struck out 15 opponents however given out 30 walks, hit 9 batters with pitches and thrown two wild pitches as properly.
Some rust after a lot missed time is comprehensible however the Royals clearly felt this was an excessive amount of. They are going to now have per week to commerce Brentz or go him by waivers. He nonetheless has a full slate of choices and will maybe attraction to a membership that believes within the stuff and has sufficient endurance to let him get again on observe.
If he had been to go by waivers unclaimed, he has greater than three years of service time and might subsequently elect free company as an alternative of accepting an outright project. Nonetheless, since he has lower than 5 years of service time, doing so would imply forfeiting what stays of his wage. As a part of that aforementioned two-year deal he signed with the Royals, he’s making $1.05MM this yr with greater than half 1,000,000 left to be paid out. He presumably wouldn’t need to stroll away from that cash and would doubtless settle for an outright project if no different membership needs to seize him off waivers.
