September Call-Ups Continue for Royals; Eric Hosmer & Others Recalled

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

According to a team press release, the Royals have made several roster moves to provide some depth to the major league roster. Eric Hosmer has been activated from the disabled list following a short rehab stint with the Omaha Storm Chasers. Joining Hosmer on the trip south down I-29 will be Johnny Giavotella, Casey Coleman, Francisco Pena, and Carlos Peguero. Those five players will be added to the roster in Kansas City, along with Brandon Finnegan, Terrance Gore, and Lane Adams, as was announced earlier.

Peguero and Finnegan were not on the 40-man roster, so to make room for them, Chris Dwyer and Blake Wood were designated for assignment.

Hosmer figures to rejoin the rotation at first base in some capacity, and considering how well he performed in Omaha during the last two days, the Royals may not have much hesitation about putting him back in the starting lineup right away, especially with Josh Willingham still nursing a sore back. Hosmer was hitting well in July until a pitch from Jon Lester struck his hand, but it remains to be seen if he can slide right back into that kind of hot streak.

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Giavotella has had his typical season, performing well in Triple-A, and disappointing in a small sample size at the major league level. While his career numbers in Kansas City aren’t impressive (.603 OPS in 461 plate appearances), he does provide some depth at second base, where Omar Infante has struggled to both stay healthy and hit consistently this season.

Pena will be the third catcher on the roster, and will allow the Royals to have a bit more flexibility in late-inning situations. He’s very good defensively and has shown excellent power at the plate this year, hitting 27 home runs for the Storm Chasers. In his only big league action this season, Pena threw out a base stealer, so he should be sufficient behind the dish.

The addition of Coleman will give Ned Yost yet another option to turn to outside of the bevy of mediocre middle relievers currently residing in the pen. Coleman struck out more than 7 batters per 9 innings for Omaha, while posting an ERA of 2.15 in 67 innings.

As for Peguero, his August numbers show why he’s getting the call: 120 PA, .311/.400/.806, 15 HR. He has some serious power from the left side of the plate, and will be a dangerous weapon off the bench in the next few weeks.

It’s been a tough few years for Dwyer, who has gone from top 100 prospect to fringe reliever. Some of that is certainly out of his control, as he’s dealt with various injuries, including a thyroid problem. In 66 innings at Triple-A this year, Dwyer had a 5.59 ERA and walked 5.3 batters per 9 innings. Wood struck out quite a few batters this year, but he doesn’t possess any elite pitches, and the Royals obviously felt comfortable parting ways.

We should expect to see a few other transactions tomorrow, once the Double-A season is over, and probably even more once the Storm Chasers are done with the Triple-A playoffs.