KC Royals: Omaha club is bursting with good things

A few Storm Chaser hitters are making cases for promotion to the KC Royals.

Pitchers aren’t the only Omaha players making strides at Omaha. Others are using their bats to grab Kansas City’s attention.

The biggest of those bats, of course, is outfielder Edward Olivares, who made it back to the Royals (he hit .274 for them in 18 games last season) Sunday and went 2-for-4 and scored a run in KC’s victory over Minnesota.

So, why might Omaha still be relevant to a player who isn’t there anymore? Because he’ll likely return to the Storm Chasers before long. Despite his excellent .395/.473/.654 20-game Chaser line, it wasn’t until KC outfielder-designated hitter Jorge Soler suffered right groin discomfort Saturday that the Royals chose to call Olivares up. And because the big club seems committed to Soler, Olivares’ time in Kansas City could be short.

But if Olivares, who has five homers, four doubles, a triple, 16 RBIs, and 11 walks to go with that superb Triple-A line, gets hot, the Royals may have to find a way to keep him longer.

Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera is heating up for the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Omaha played its first 2021 game Sunday without Olivares on the roster, but another Storm Chaser helped pick up the slack. Emmanuel Rivera went 4-for-5 with a triple, double and two singles to help the club put the cap on a six-game sweep of Indianapolis.

Rivera started slowly—he was hitting only .185 on May 20—but a .363 average (12-for-33) since then has him at a much better .253. He’s also homered five times and has 21 RBIs.

A key member of the KC Royals’ 2014 and 2015 World Series clubs is on fire.

His chances of making it back to Kansas City aren’t good, this steady shortstop who helped anchor the infields of the Royals’ last two pennant-winners, but Alcides Escobar isn’t giving up. Now 34 and back in the United States after a season playing in Japan, Escobar toils away in Omaha hoping for a return to Kauffman Stadium.

The attempt seemed all but a fantasy after his first seven games—he was hitting .100 with only two singles, a double, and a walk to his name. Since then, though, he’s been on the attack.

Escobar is 10-for 14 (.588) in his last four games, a performance that includes three doubles, two home runs, and six RBIs, and his average has skyrocketed to .324. He may not become a Royal again, but he’s having fun trying.

The KC Royals’ Double-A farm club may be getting more press than Triple-A Omaha, but good things are happening with the Storm Chasers.