KC Royals: It’s Time For Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio

It’s no secret, the KC Royals offense has sucked so far. They rank 30th in the majors in runs, 28 in wRC+, and 28th in batting average. It might be time to shake things up a bit.

If you watched the KC Royals first game against the San Francisco Giants, you noticed that the Royals lineup has holes. A bit more than two weeks in, the KC Royals have had players struggle, such as Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, Raul Mondesi, and Brandon Moss, just two name a few.

But not all is bad. The Royals have had some players performing well in the minors. This includes the recent call-up Whit Merrifield, prospect Jorge Bonifacio, and the power hitting first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

This could line up perfectly. As we all now, Jorge Soler well be on the DL for about another week. This leaves a whole in right field for the time being. Right now, it looks like Paulo Orlando and Whit Merrifield will be splitting time there.

One of these players is seeing the ball well. The other isn’t. So I’m going to propose a temporary change to the lineup that could possibly spark the offense.

Second Base

This is a position the KC Royals have struggled with for a while. There was some promise this season though. A player that many people believe has a lot of promise, Raul Mondesi, was set to man second base for the KC Royals in 2017.

That hasn’t worked out great so far. Out of 194 qualified hitters this year, Mondesi ranks 189th in wRC+. Suboptimal.

Good thing the KC Royals might have an option. Super-utility player Whit Merrifield. After missing the last spot the Royals 25 man roster, Whit was optioned to AAA Omaha, where he scorched the ball. In 9 games, he hit for a slashline of .412/.432/.794. With the Royals needing bench inventory, Merrifield was quickly called up to Kansas City.

And oh boy, did he stay hot in his first game back. He finished last night’s game 2 for 3 with 2 walks, adding the third home run of his career.

On the same night, Raul Mondesi finished 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts.

So my first proposal is to move Whit Merrifield full-time to second base, additionally spotting others on rest days. With this, you option Raul Mondesi to Omaha, where he works on his plate discipline.

Right Field

This is where it gets interesting. I’m proposing for Jorge Bonifacio to man right field temporarily. He would play there until Jorge Soler is good to go, which at that point you send Bonifacio back to AAA.

Bonifacio, a former MLB Top 100 Prospect, has had his stock trend downwards the past couple of years. At 23 years old, he still remains one of the top hitting prospects in the organization.

Back in Omaha for the second time around, Bonifacio is hitting well after a career year. In 11 games, he is hitting .286/.375/.595 in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. He has also shown increased plate discipline, a big issue for hime in the past. So far this year, he has struck out 7 times and walked 6.

This could be a nice stopgap, with Paulo Orlando posting the third worst qualified OPS in the MLB, standing at .299.

Conclusion

This might be a minor thing in the long run, but like I said, maybe it could possibly get the offense clicking.

Other pros to this would be getting Jorge Bonifacio’s feet wet in the majors, as he could be a major part of the KC Royals future. Then, you would also get Raul Mondesi some seasoning in AAA, which could play big in the long run for him.

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Point is, both these players are big parts in the Royals future and you might be doing favors for both players.This is a move that could play dividends for the KC Royals in the short run and long run.