Kansas City Royals: Infielders who have September call-up potential

As the last part of a three part series, here are the infielders that have the potential to be called up within the Kansas City Royals’ organization.

September is almost here, and that means it is time for some call ups. The Kansas City Royals may choose to not call anyone up, but they do have several infielders deserving of a call up.

Kelvin Gutierrez

Kelvin Gutierrez was obtained in the trade with the Washington Nationals for Kelvin Herrera. Since the trade, Gutierrez has fared well with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He’s slashing .280/.336/.416 with the Naturals. In 57 games, he has tallied 60 hits and 35 RBIs.

Of all of the minor league infielders in the Kansas City Royals’ farm system, Kelvin Gutierrez is likeliest to be called up when September 1 rolls around. The Royals are looking for a third baseman to fill the void left by Mike Moustakas anyways, and Gutierrez may just be the man for the job.

Nicky Lopez

Though Nicky Lopez has had a fantastic season, he may not receive a call up simply because of the abundance of middle infielders the Royals already have. Nicky Lopez is also not currently on the 40 man roster, so in order to call him up, the Kansas City Royals would have to make some changes. In the minors this season, Lopez is slashing .314/.389/.430. He began the season with Northwest Arkansas before being moved up to the Storm Chasers in Omaha.

Lopez is a 23 year old who has played both second and shortstop, which are both already filled by Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, and for now, Alcides Escobar.

Samir Duenez

Samir Duenez is currently on the 40 man roster, and the 22 year old could be in prime position for a call up. The first baseman is with Northwest Arkansas, and he is slashing .267/.342/.448 with the Naturals in the 2018 season. Of the three infielders, even though he is already on the 40 man roster, he is the least likely to get the call.

Though it is uncertain if Ned Yost will choose to call up any infielders for the final month of the season, these three are the most likely to get the call, if there are any at all.