We did our best not to overreact to the action so far, but did discuss Luis Mendoza‘s potential as a starter, John Lamb‘s comeback and velocity (as well as that of Noel Arguelles) and Alex Gordon‘s day off.

Then we welcomed the voice of Kauffman Stadium to the show. Mike McCartney’s a name you might not know but if you get to see the Royals at home, you’ll know his voice. We caught up with him to talk about the All Star break, his philosophy behind how to work within the game and the crowd in calling up a player, what he does with the weird names (and we tested a few with him), and what it’s like to work at the ballpark all summer.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City infielder Elliot Johnson poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

After a brief interlude to talk about the Chiefs and their search for a quarterback (we try not to go there unless it’s a big story), we talked with Elliot Johnson, the newest Royal in camp.

Johnson shared a lot about his climb towards the big leagues, including the disappointments of being kept in the minors, bad timing, and his dustup with Francisco Cervelli (and he had a nice take on the overreaction to that 2008 collision). He also talked about the leadership the Royals should expect from former-and-once-again teammates James Shields and Wade Davis as well as his adjustment to a new clubhouse and coaching staff and playing every position on the diamond.

Follow Johnson on Twitter at @ElliotJohnson9 and McCartney at @mikemccartneykc.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

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Aug 10, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Elliot Johnson (9) catches a line drive hit by Minnesota Twins right fielder Ben Revere (not pictured) in the seventh inning at Target Field. The Rays won 12-6. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals have been vocal about wanting a shortstop option to backup Alcides Escobar should he get hurt, and Johnson has spent the majority of his time there as a big leaguer. He can also play second base, third base and has played in the outfield before.

He’s a switch hitter who hasn’t hit at the big league level, but he’s been better than replacement level in his time the last two seasons. At 28 (he’ll turn 29 in a month), Johnson doesn’t offer a lot of upside, but he’s worthy of a bench spot. To add to his fielding versatility, he’s a switch-hitter who’s better from the left side.

Johnson has shown some power in the minors, can take a walk on occasion, but has struck out a quarter of the time as a big leaguer. He stole 18 bases last year in 24 attempts (after reaching base 99 times), so there’s some speed here as well. Already the speculation creeps in – will he be in the mix for the starting second base job? Does he make the team over Miguel Tejada? WITH Tejada? What about Johnny Giavotella? What about Irving Falu? (Likely done, as Dave Lesky suggests and I’d tend to agree.)

What’s interesting is that feasibly Reid Brignac could have been an option as the PTBNL and the Royals passed on him. As we’ve covered previously, Brignac was a long-time top prospect in the Rays organization but hasn’t hit over the past two seasons. Tampa may not have made him available (but after designating him, I don’t think that’d be the case) or, most likely, the Royals didn’t trust his bat to come around.

To make room on the 40 man roster, the Royals moved Felipe Paulino to the 60 day disabled list. He’s eligible to come off on June 1, but after Tommy John Surgery last July, he’ll probably still have another month at least at that point until he’s ready to return.