Kansas City Royals: Raul Mondesi Jr Replaces Whit Merrifield
By Charles Lam
The Kansas City Royals are trying to get a spark on offense. The team called up Raul Mondesi Jr. and sent down Whit Merrifield today in hopes of capturing some offense.
Raul Mondesi Jr. has done extremely well for the Omaha Storm Chasers. He’s slashed .304/.328/.536 in 14 games at the Triple-A level. He’s accumulated 17 hits and seven extra base hits.
The infielder is just about 21-years-old and has a lot of upside. He’s improved in every level of the minor leagues. He hit .243 in nine games for high A Wilmington. He smashed .259 in 29 games in Doulbe-A Northwest Arkansas. His batting average rose to .304 for Triple A Omaha in 14 games.
The Mondesi news broke this afternoon on Twitter. Kansas City Star beat reporter for the Kansas City Royals, Rustin Dodd, reported the news.
Raul Mondesi is coming up. Whit Merrifield to Omaha.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) July 26, 2016
The young man has struggled a bit with the strike zone. He’s received 19 strikeouts in 56 at bats for the Storm Chasers. The strikeout rate is one of the reasons why his on base percentage is so close to his batting average.
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The young infielder got suspended for 50 games back on May 10th. He supposedly took over the counter cold medication that contained a banned substance in the medication. Mondesi got suspended due to having Clenbuterol in his system. He did not talk to the league or a team physician before taking the medicine.
He told the league what he did wrong and got the suspension reduced for 80 to 50 games. He also can compete for the Kansas City Royals if the team makes it to the playoffs. It could have been much worse for Mondesi and the Royals, but both received “good” news out of this bad situation.
Mondesi will get his first start for the Kansas City Royals this season today. He will bat ninth in the lineup against the Los Angeles Angels, according to 610 Sports Josh Vernier.
Mondesi takes Whit Merrifield‘s spot in the lineup. He will start at second base for the Kansas City Royals. This will be somewhat of a transition for the primary shortstop. He played 12 games at shortstop to only two games at second base for the Storm Chasers.
Whit Merrifield gets sent back to Omaha and will receive playing time. He should be called up during September call-ups for the Kansas City Royals come a little more than a month from now.
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Merrifield started off hot for the big league team. His offensive numbers have gone cold since. The former South Carolina Gamecock slashed .356/.356/.467 in 10 games in May. His slash line totals went down each month after.
In June, Merrifield slashed .286/.316/.411 in 26 games. In July, he’s slashed a terrible .170/.241/.245 in 16 game for the Royals.
Another reason Merrifield got sent down was due to his strikeouts. He’s struck out 50 times in 210 at bats for the Kansas City Royals. That’s 24 percent of the time. Almost every fourth at bat, Merrifield became a strikeout victim.
The numbers for Merrifield have trended in the wrong direction as of late. Maybe a trip to Omaha will get him right again before September. His versatility will help the Kansas City Royals. When a starter needs a day off, Merrifield can fill in for them and give the starter a break.
With the Kansas City Royals sitting at two games below .500 with just over 60 games left to play, the team needs a spark. Mondesi could be the spark this team desperately needs on offense. Lorenzo Cain should be back this weekend if everything goes okay during his rehab assignment.
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With the addition of Cain and Mondesi and maybe someone else via a trade, the Kansas City Royals might be able to make an improbable run at a playoff spot. The season isn’t over yet. Keep believing Royals fans.