As September Hits, David Lough and Manuel Pina Called Up

Since the calendar has turned to September 1, Major League Baseball’s rosters have expanded to allow all players on the 40 man roster to be eligible to big league teams. Most minor league seasons are still finishing up, but many players will come up now and stay up for the rest of the month.

With Omaha going for their second straight Pacific Coast League championship, the Royals didn’t pull many players up to the big leagues. In fact, they’ve called up just two: catcher Manuel Pina and outfielder David Lough.

Pina saw action in four games last year after Matt Treanor‘s concussion put him on the disabled list, then he was optioned back to Omaha after Salvador Perez debuted and Brayan Pena came back from paternity leave. In his two weeks in the majors, he hit .214/.267/.357 with three base hits, two of them doubles. With a double header scheduled today, he fits the roster nicely in case of injury or to spell someone in the late innings.

The other name coming up is David Lough, who finally gets a look in the big leagues after spending three straight years in Omaha. He has a .291/.343/.446 line in Triple A in 1591 plate appearances in Triple A.

Ironically, 2012 is his lowest ever OPS (.737) but it’s the year he finally reaches the big leagues. He was hitting .275/.317/.420 with 19 doubles, 11 triples and 10 homers. He’s also stolen 26 bases in 30 attempts and can play all three outfield positions. He talked with us on the Kansas City Baseball Vault about how he wanted to use his speed more this season, and he’s definitely been doing that.

Lough’s been caught in a crowded outfield, with Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur in the way last year, then this season was left in the minors while the Royals looked at Jarrod Dyson as an option after Lorenzo Cain‘s injury early in the year. Lough is probably going to be someone who ends up getting playing time in another organization, but it’s great to see him get the call as a Royal, even if it’s just for this month.