KC Royals ALDS Roster; Paulo Orlando In, Jonny Gomes Out

The KC Royals announced their American League Division Series 25-man roster on Thursday morning. The key decisions included including outfielders Paulo Orlando and Terrance Gore, and excluding veterans Jonny Gomes and Jeremy Guthrie.

Playoff rosters must be set before every playoff series. Any eligible player can be on the playoff roster, which can change for each series a team plays. Playoff rules also allow for injury replacements. Otherwise, rosters are set once a series begins.

The Kansas City Royals roster that will take on the Houston Astros starting Thursday night includes 11 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and six outfielders.

Pitchers:

Starters:

• Yordano Ventura
• Johnny Cueto
• Edinson Volquez
• Kris Medlen

Relievers:

• Chris Young
• Danny Duffy 
• Luke Hochevar 
• Franklin Morales 
• Ryan Madson 
• Kelvin Herrera 
• Wade Davis

Catchers:

• Salvador Perez 
• Drew Butera

Infielders:

• Christian Colon (UTIL)
• Alcides Escobar (SS)
• Eric Hosmer (1B)
• Kendrys Morales (1B/DH)
• Mike Moustakas (3B)
• Ben Zobrist (2B)

Outfielders:

• Lorenzo Cain (CF)
• Jarrod Dyson (OF)
• Alex Gordon (LF)
• Terrance Gore (OF)
• Paulo Orlando (OF)
• Alex Rios (LF)

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Among the more interesting decisions made by the KC Royals was to leave off outfielder Jonny Gomes, who is an excellent pinch hitter against left-handed pitchers in favor of the speedy Paulo Orlando. Also, second baseman Omar Infante seems not to have recovered from his mid-September oblique injury. As expected due to his poor performance for the KC Royals in the second half, Jeremy Guhrie did not make the playoff roster.

Apparently, KC Royals manager Ned Yost favored Paulo Orlando’s versatility over Gomes’ experience and pinch hitting ability. Orlando can be used as a pinch runner, defensive substitution for Alex Rios, and as a bench bat that brings a decent pop to the plate with seven home runs and six triples in 241 at bats. Yost also valued the depth of including Luke Hochevar in the bullpen over the pinch-hitting ability of Gomes.

Next: Royals Look To Take Care Of Unfinished Business