Making room for Hunter Renfroe
Had the Royals been in this injury-related situation a month ago, they might have considered avoiding cutting another player by letting Renfroe go. After all, he was slashing an awful .153/.228/.250 through May 19.
But Renfroe's fortunes at the plate have improved considerably. Suddenly on fire, he's homered three times, doubled seven, driven in 11 runs, and put together an impressive .326/.392/.674 line since May 20. And in June, he's 7-for-18 with six RBI and a 1.254 OPS in six games.
That's the kind if production the club hoped it was getting when it signed Renfroe in December, so there's no chance Picollo lets him go ... at least not until the trade deadline gets closer, if even then.
So, who gets bumped for Renfroe? If Renfroe could return as soon as Rogers suggests, the Royals might be wise to keep third-string catcher Austin Nola, who they recalled from Omaha to back up Freddy Fermin until Salvador Perez's knee recovers sufficiently for him to resume regular duty behind the plate, then send him back down when Renfroe gets back. Kansas City can get by with two catchers when Perez completely shakes his knee issue, which is a better option considering the club probably doesn't want to part ways with Dairon Blanco or Garrett Hampson.