No rest for 2 KC Royals and a half-dozen prospects

One of their top prospects will be returning to action for the KC Royals

Gavin Cross made his presence known soon after Kansas City picked him in the first round of the 2022 amateur draft. Stopping first in the Arizona Complex League after he signed, the talented outfielder banged out five hits, including a homer and two doubles, and knocked in three runs in 10 at-bats before moving up to Single-A Columbia, where he homered seven times, drove in 22 runs, and slashed .293/.423/.596 in 22 games.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck this season. In 94 games at High-A Quad Cities abd another two at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he hit just .203 with 12 home runs and ended the campaign on the Injured List, where an illness forced him in mid-August. Selecting him for the AFL strongly suggests the Royals believe Cross, who was the organization's No. 1 MLB Pipeline prospect until Blake Mitchell recently displaced him, is ready to play again.

Infielder Peyton Wilson is the only other non-pitcher who'll accompany Loftin, Zerpa, and Cross to Arizona. Rated the organization's 26th best prospect by Pipeline, Wilson spent this, his third professional season, at Northwest Arkansas and had a .286 average, and .366 OBP, and stole 19 bases in 26 attempts.

Who else is headed for fall play?