KC Royals announce flurry of prospect promotions, including Gavin Cross

The KC Royals are moving around more prospects this season, with their largest amount of promotions in a single day yet. The team announced five players moving up to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, three to High-A Quad Cities, and a 2023 draftee heading to Low-A Columbia.

Several KC Royals prospects joined a new squad after today's promotions.

The five players moving up to Double-A include four selections from the 2022 MLB Draft. Outfielder Gavin Cross, third baseman Cayden Wallace, diminutive defenseman Javier Vaz, and pitchers Mason Barnett and Tyson Guerrero all join a Naturals squad currently leading the Texas League's North division. The Royals did not announce any corresponding moves regarding players already on the Naturals roster, casting uncertainty over how these five will factor into the team. Cross moving up after a disappointing season with the River Bandits is head-scratching, but things cannot get much worse for the Royals' top prospect.

Outfielder Jean Ramirez, shortstop Dustin Dickerson, and pitcher Ryan Ramsey all moved up to the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. All three are interesting cases. Ramirez, from the Dominican Republic, played in 162 Low-A games since 2021 and proved his worth for the Fireflies. Dickerson was an 8th-round selection by the Royals in the 2023 MLB draft, jumping Columbia altogether. the 22-year-old already has plenty of collegiate experience and will fill Vaz's role for the River Bandits. Lastly, Ramsey set a Columbia record with 30 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. The starter is turned heads and can continue that elite production in Quad Cities.

Lastly, outfielder Carson Roccaforte is making his affiliated ball debut in Low-A Columbia. He looked ready in Arizona Complex League action, recording eight hits in four games with an 1.100 OPS. The Royals selected Roccaforte in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft and he will certainly see action with Ramierez moving up to Quad Cities.

All of these players have different tracks and expectations within the Royals system. The organization obviously feels these prospects can produce at the next level or help their new team's in the season's final months. Either way, there are plenty of new faces for fans to get used to after these promotions. Fans want to see some elite talent emerge from a farm system with several top selections but no top-100 prospects, either in the preseason or after the midseason updates.