Ranking the Position Players in Omaha Who Could Be Up When Rosters Expand

The Royals fell out of first place on Wednesday afternoon, dropping the series finale to the Cleveland Guardians. However, Kansas City had a winning series overall, taking three of four on the road in Cleveland.

The Boys in Blue have a legitimate shot of not just making the postseason (87.7% odds to make the playoffs, according to Fangraphs) but perhaps winning the division as well (28.1% odds, according to Fangraphs). That’s a tremendous turnaround for a club that lost 106 games in 2023.

While the Royals are trending in the right direction as we reach the stretch run of the 2024 season, the club still requires help, especially in the hitting department off the bench. Hunter Renfroe is currently on the IL, and his presence has been missed in the Royals lineup, even with the club taking three of four from the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Thankfully, the Royals have an excellent opportunity to improve their lineup, with rosters expanding to 28 on September 1st. That allows them to add one extra hitter on the 40-man roster, which gives them additional depth on the bench that they need to clinch a playoff berth in the last month of play.

I didn’t look at any hitters not on the 40-man roster because in order to add them, someone on the active roster would likely have to get designated for assignment. While Royals fans can certainly make the argument for that needing to happen with players like Garrett Hampson and Adam Frazier, it’s hard to see JJ Picollo parting ways with veterans who provide stability and predictability off the bench (even if that upside is quite limited).

Thus, I didn’t rank players like John Rave, Devin Mann, or Nate Eaton, even though they have had solid seasons in Omaha in 2024.

Now, let’s rank the candidates on the 40-man roster currently in Omaha who could join the Royals roster on September 1st, right before a big home series against the Guardians that starts on Labor Day.

Not Likely Candidates

7. Austin Nola, C; 6. Nick Pratto, 1B/OF

Nola and Pratto have had rough seasons in Omaha, which explains why they haven’t seen any time in Kansas City this season. Pratto’s lone MLB appearance in 2024 was as a pitcher in a blowout, and Nola hasn’t suited up a game for the Royals in any capacity beyond Spring Training.

Nola may have a shot if the Royals want to have some catching depth and allow more time for Salvy to DH in September to save him for the postseason. Unfortunately, Nola has been punchless at the plate with the Storm Chasers, which hurts his chances of finding a spot on this Royals roster in September.

In 156 plate appearances, Nola is hitting .155 with a wRC+ of 41. Safe to say, that isn’t going to cut it, even with Nola’s experience behind the plate at the MLB level.

Pratto is hitting .236 with an 89 wRC+ in 420 plate appearances. He has 14 home runs this year and showcased solid glovework at first base, which makes him a candidate, perhaps, to be a late-inning defensive sub for Vinnie or Salvy when necessary.

On the other hand, Pratto’s K% of 30% this year and whiff rate of 31.2% are among Omaha hitters’ worst marks this season. A sub-20 HR hitter with a plus-30% whiff rate isn’t an exciting asset to add to the Royals bench, even with stellar defense at first base.

Longshot Candidates

5. Drew Waters, OF; 4. CJ Alexander, 3. 3B/1B; Nelson Velazquez, OF;

Waters has received a couple of call-ups, but he has failed to receive significant opportunities with the Major League club. He has only made 19 plate appearances in seven games, and it seems like the Royals organization has moved on from him as a long-term asset in the outfield.

However, he still can play solid defense at all three outfield positions. He is hitting .279 with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 89 games with the Storm Chasers this season.

Alexander is arguably Omaha’s most productive power hitter this season. He has hit 16 home runs in 82 games, a batting average of .303, and a wOBA of .391. His hard-hit rate of 43.3% and barrel rate of 11.3% are the best marks of Storm Chaser hitters this year via Savant.

After a strong campaign with the Storm Chasers, he was promoted to Kansas City and made his MLB debut. Unfortunately, Alexander failed to do much in a limited sample.

In four games and eight plate appearances, he only hit .125 with three strikeouts and zero walks. He also struggled defensively at the hot corner, which shortened his call-up and dampened his outlook of being back with the club in September.

The last longshot candidate is Velazquez, who has the most MLB time in the trio.

Velazquez made the Opening Day roster (despite a poor Spring Training) and received 230 plate appearances in 64 games this season before his demotion. Velazquez tore it up in his Royals debut after being acquired at the Trade Deadline from the Cubs in 2023. In 147 plate appearances with the Royals last year, he hit 14 home runs and had a wRC+ of 129.

This season, though, has been a different story.

In 230 plate appearances, he has only eight home runs, and his ISO has gone from .346 last year with the Royals to .166 this season. Granted, .346 was unsustainable, but his power has dipped considerably, and the Statcast data wasn’t encouraging this season either (nearly a 10% dip in hard-hit rate this year). A defensive liability, it made sense for the Royals to option him with the power not there.

Velazquez has struggled to re-channel things in Omaha. His BB/K ratio improved from 0.31 with the Royals to 0.78 with the Storm Chasers. Other than that, his metrics are not impressive. He’s only hitting .236 with a .157 ISO in 127 plate appearances. That’s disappointing to see, especially in a home park that tends to favor hitters.

On the other hand, if the Royals are looking for a hitter who can solely be a pinch hitter, Velazquez could be the fit, especially since he’s had some moments with the Royals club this season.

That said, with manager Matt Quatraro’s preference for using the bench, Velazquez’s lack of defensive and baserunning versatility makes him a limited asset for the Royals. Furthermore, his bat isn’t proven enough to compensate for those below-average tools, even in a pinch-hitting role.

The Probable Candidates

2. Tyler Gentry, OF; 1. Nick Loftin, 2B/3B

Gentry is already up with the Royals, as he made his first start in Monday’s first game of the Royals’ doubleheader.

Gentry has not gotten his first MLB hit this season with the Royals in three plate appearances. That said, he’s been one of the Storm Chasers’ hottest hitters, especially after the All-Star Break.

Renfroe was put on the 10-Day IL on August 25th, so Gentry will at least have a bit longer to prove himself, even if he isn’t the designated “28th man.” Renfroe won’t return to the Royals roster by September 1st, so Gentry’s spot should be safe when rosters expand on Sunday.

Nonetheless, if he continues to underwhelm at the plate, he could return to Omaha soon when Renfroe comes back.

A likely option in Omaha who could be the 28th man with Renfroe still out is Nick Loftin, who’s absolutely demolished Triple-A pitching this year.

In 200 plate appearances in Omaha, he is hitting .335 with a .416 wOBA. He also has six home runs, four stolen bases, and a BB/K ratio of 0.92 (highlighted by a 12.5% K rate). While he doesn’t hit for traditional power, Loftin has shown a prowess for finding gaps with the Storm Chasers.

The only issue is that Loftin hasn’t translated that success to Kansas City this year.

After hitting .323 with a 117 wRC+ in 68 plate appearances in 2023 as a rookie, he is only hitting .199 with a 56 wRC+ in 141 plate appearances this season. He also only has a hard-hit rate of 27%, which is 8.3% lower than a year ago. Those factors have contributed to him being down in Omaha at this time of the year.

That said, Loftin still had a disciplined approach at the plate with the Royals as his BB/K ratio was 0.86. According to Fangraphs, Loftin’s ratio is the best mark of any Royals hitter with 50 or more plate appearances this season.

Thus, the Royals may want Loftin’s high-contact approach off the bench as the 28th-man, as he could be a Christian Colon type that Quatraro can use as a pinch-hitter in tight situations.

Photo Credit: USA Today