The 2025 minor league schedule is officially underway. The Omaha Storm Chasers opened their season schedule at the end of March. That roster features plenty of names that will impact the Major League roster this season. Drew Waters is already on a torrid hot streak to start the season, including his first career cycle on Wednesday. Other affiliates will kick things off on Friday, but the affiliate rosters were released on Wednesday.
As interesting as the names listed were, some names absent from any affiliate roster were just as notable.
Injury updates for four key Royals prospects to open the 2025 minor league season
Blake Mitchell: Mitchell suffered a hamate bone fracture early on in spring training. That injury will sideline him for at least four to six weeks. By that original timeline, Mitchell would be on track to start his season by mid-April. Following a strong 2024 season, it’s not the start we hoped for the young backstop. Those wrist injuries tend to linger into the season as well, further clouding what we can expect from Mitchell in 2025. Once healthy, Mitchell will likely head to High-A Quad Cities, where he finished last season.
Javier Vaz: Vaz suffered two fractured fingers fielding a ball in early March. The injury will sideline him for around the first two weeks of the season. Should recovery continue to go well, we should see Javier Vaz back in action around mid-April. Where he plays is yet to be seen, but Vaz spent 115 games with Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2024. That came after 33 games there to finish out 2023. Due to how much time he’s put together at the level, it seems most likely he will make his way to Omaha once he’s healthy and ready to get the season started. Vaz finished 2024 with an 11.5% strikeout rate and a 118 wRC+.
L.P. Langevin: Langevin was the Royals’ fourth-round selection in the 2024 Amateur Draft. He struck out 106 batters in just 62.2 innings of work for Louisiana-Lafayette. Much of that strikeout stuff stems from an electric fastball. Langevin’s fastball drew rave reviews throughout last year’s draft cycle. Following the selection last July, Royals Scouting Director Brian Bridges called Langevin’s fastball “disappearing.” To open the 2025 season, Langevin is shelved with an oblique injury. He didn’t pitch professionally last season after being selected and will now be eased into action as he recovers. Oblique injuries tend to linger into the season as well, and the Royals will almost certainly take their time with Langevin, who could be a quick mover through the minor leagues.
Emmanuel Reyes: Reyes was solid last season with Low-A Columbia. He put together 107 innings of work in what became his largest single-season sample of work to date. There was a dip in strikeouts (7.15 SO/9), but he continued to command the ball well, limiting free passes. In all, he pitched to a 3.62 ERA. Reyes seemed ready to head to High-A for the first time to open 2025, but instead will spend some extra time in Arizona. Reyes was reportedly slow to ramp up into spring training. The organization will allow him to continue ramping up to more of a starter’s workload before they plan on sending him out to full-season play.
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