Kansas City Royals Call Up Several Players to Begin September

The Kansas City Royals made several roster moves on Friday. A handful of players were called up to the majors and a waiver claim was made, as well. See what all took place.

The start of September always brings about a flurry of roster moves for every MLB team. The Kansas City Royals were no different on Friday.

The team made the predictable move to call up a few players, but also made an unexpected waiver claim and reinstated Trevor Cahill from the disabled list.

The first move the Kansas City Royals officially announced was claiming former Seattle pitcher Sam Gaviglio off waivers. To make room for the new addition, the club released injured relief pitcher Neftali Feliz.

Gaviglio, a righty, had made 11 starts and 12 total appearances for the Mariners in 2017—his first year in the big leagues. He has a 3-5 record with a 4.62 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. The 27-year-old has 40 strikeouts and 21 walks over 62 1/3 innings.

Also on the pitching side of things, Cahill moved off the DL, while Brian Flynn was transferred to the 60-day DL, effectively ending his season. Flynn injured his groin during his only appearance with the Kansas City Royals this year. It remains to be seen whether Cahill rejoins the rotation or moves to the bullpen.

Meanwhile, the biggest news came in the announcement of five call-ups. Some were expected, one was surprising and one notable name was not among them.

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Call Me Up

Headlining the expected call-ups group is infielder Raul Mondesi and catcher Cam Gallagher. It was generally assumed that Mondesi, who has been hitting the ball better of late, and Gallagher, who gives the team three catchers, would be part of the first wave.

Speedy outfielder Terrance Gore was another expected addition to the roster. He gives the Kansas City Royals a proven base-stealer late in games. Another outfielder, Paulo Orlando made the jump back up the majors after finally recovering from his shin injury. Orlando’s promotion likely came at the expense of Jorge Soler. One obvious reason would be to keep getting Soler consistent at-bats.

The fifth call-up would seem to be the most surprising—if purely for the fact he wasn’t on the 40-man roster. Andres Machado, a 24-year-old righty, made the jump up with Flynn being moved to the 60-day DL, which automatically opens a spot on the 40-man roster.

Machado has had quite the season. He began 2017 in Wilmington (Advanced-A), moved to Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) and then to Omaha (Triple-A) before getting the call-up on Friday. Machado was 6-7 in 21 appearances (nine starts) at Wilmington and 2-2 over seven starts at Omaha. (He only made one appearance at the Double-A level.)

These won’t be the last moves of the month. Depending on how the Kansas City Royals fare over the next few weeks, they could be the first of many.

Next: Royals Still in Playoff Chase

What do you fans think about the moves? Who do you think can make an immediate contribution? Let us know in the comments and on social media.