Why this demoted KC Royals outfielder will return to Kansas City

The Kansas City Royals made a logical roster move last Friday when they called up veteran big league catcher Luke Maile from Triple-A Omaha. Adding him gave the club insurance after calf tightness forced Salvador Perez out of the game and caused manager Matt Quatraro to replace Perez with designated hitter Freddy Fermin during Thursday night's game in Seattle.

Bringing up Maile was the right thing to do. But the move was not without a curious side — somewhat surprisingly, KC created roster space for Maile by optioning outfielder Drew Waters to Omaha while Tyler Tolbert, Nick Loftin, and John Rave — whose numbers suggested they each deserved demotion more than Waters — retained their big league spots. While Waters was batting .243 and had been playing almost daily since his early April recall, Tolbert hadn't played in almost a week and was hitting .111, Loftin was hitting .174, and Rave was at .176.

Perhaps general manager J.J. Picollo decided their greater defensive versatility made Loftin and Tolbert less expendable than Waters in the Royals' eyes, and Tolbert's value as a late-inning pinch runner may have figured into the decision. But what's clear about the moves is this — Maile's stay in Kansas City will last only as long as the club deems Perez's calf a factor in lineup construction.

Less clear, though, is Waters' major league future. Has the player Kansas City acquired from Atlanta three years ago, when he was the Braves' No. 1 prospect, exhausted his chances with the Royals, or will he be back? Count on the latter, and here's why.

Drew Waters is still the KC Royals' best internal outfield option

That this is true is open to little question, especially now that Jac Caglianone is in the majors with no return to the minors in sight. Kansas City's big league outfield remains as offensively weak as it was when the season began — Hunter Renfroe's soft bat led to his early-season departure, Jonathan India wasn't the answer in left, and Caglianone hasn't come through like the club and its fans anticipated he would. And although Kyle Isbel has improved at the plate this year, his bat still isn't very loud.

And besides Waters, who was slashing .370/.469/.741 with two homers, seven RBI, and a 1.210 OPS in seven games when KC brought him up in April, Omaha's outfielders have disappointed. Through Sunday, Tyler Gentry is hitting .213 with five homers, and Joey Wiemer, who came to the Royals in November's India-Brady Singer trade with Cincinnati, has homered eight times but is batting .185. Despite flashing some occasional power, MJ Melendez doesn't appear ready to return to the Royals.

And although Dairon Blanco seems healthy again after an early-season tussle with Achilles tendinopathy landed him on the Injured List and then a rehabilitation assignment at Omaha, and has six homers and 14 steals in 37 Storm Chaser games since his reactivation, the Royals seem content to rely on Tolbert for high-leverage pinch-running situations.

So, should the Royals need to dip back into the minors to supplement its big league outfield — and they probably will before long — Waters is probably, at least for now, the logical choice.