KC Royals: Jarrod Dyson Injury Opens Door In Right Field

KC Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson is expected to miss the next two weeks, according to ESPN. His injured right oblique muscle will put a crimp in his quest to lock down the starting job in right field.

Dyson injured the muscle that runs down the right side of his lower torso in the Kansas City Royals opening Cactus League 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon.

Many analysts expect Jarrod Dyson to take over as the KC Royals starting right fielder, or share the job as the left-handed half of a platoon with Paulo Orlando, after incumbent Alex Rios departed as a free-agent this winter. Prospects Jose Martinez, Brett Eibner, and Bubba Starling are also in the mix for the open job.

With Dyson missing the next two weeks, Martinez, Eibner, and Starling will get ample chances to show Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost what they can do. To my mind, the big beneficiary is the 27-year-old  Martinez—who won the Pacific Coast League batting crown in 2015 with a record .384 batting average.

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Eibner’s hit tool has been his nemesis most of his minor league career. The 27-year-old Eibner exceeded .250 for the first time as a professional last season in AAA Omaha, when he slashed .303/.364/.514 in the Pacific Coast League. He is a better defensive player than Martinez. Eibner can play all three outfield positions, and is even a plus defender in center. He also has more pop with 19 home runs in 2015. However, Eibner lacks Martinez’s outstanding strike zone control with an 18.3% strikeout rate last season compared to Martinez’s 13.2%.

Meanwhile, Bubba Starling also brings outstanding athleticism to the table. Defensively, he’s already an above average outfielder in the major leagues. Yet, the question with Starling is his bat. Starling enjoyed a breakthrough at the plate last season, but still only slashed .254/.318/.426 in AA and .274/.330/.440 in the Arizona Fall League.

That’s a big improvement for the 23-year-old Starling, but he will have to show even greater progress this spring to win a job in with the KC Royals. Expect the front office to send Starling to AAA Omaha for more minor-league seasoning since there’s still plenty of time for him to develop.

Dark horses Travis Snider and Reymond Fuentes could also force their way into the picture with a strong showing in Surprise this spring. Snider is a former top prospect whose career is on life support at age-28. He has significant power, which is why teams keep giving him chances. Unless a light came on for the the lefty-hitting Snider over the winter, expect him to be nothing more than AAA depth.

Meanwhile, Fuentes is the type of speed/defense athlete that KC Royals general manager Dayton Moore likes to stock in the KC system.  The 25-year-old Fuentes hit .308/.360/.422 in Omaha last season after he signed with the Kansas City Royals as a minor league free agent. He stole 29 bases and showed his range in the outfield for the Stormchasers last season.

Next: Things To Watch For As Royals Open Spring Schedule

While Jarrod Dyson’s seems to have suffered no more than a soft tissue injury, the missed time will give his competition hope this spring.