The Kansas City Royals find themselves just three games back of the Seattle Mariners for the third and final American League Wild Card spot as the month of August draws to a close. At 69-66, their playoff hopes are still very much alive. They’ve had several players step into larger roles this season and give them a major boost, especially since the trade deadline.
But on Monday, the month of September will get underway, and it will be time for Kansas City to make a few roster moves. Rosters can expand to 28 players as soon as Monday for the final month of the season, and the Royals have a few players in their system that could be ready to make some noise.
Jacob Milham of Kings of Kauffman listed three young players that Royals fans should be eager to see as possible September callups, and among them was top catching prospect Carter Jensen.
“With the Royals playing meaningful baseball and a Freddy Fermin-sized hole still lingering behind the plate, it’s time to address the backup catcher spot beyond Luke Maile. And with prospect Carter Jensen tearing it up in Omaha, the moment feels right to call up the fan-favorite and hometown product,” Milham wrote.
“He was a fixture in the Naturals’ lineup while then-top prospect Jac Caglianone was making noise, and looked even sharper after the Florida slugger’s promotion. Across 28 Double-A games, Jensen slashed .292/.360/.420—good enough for Kansas City to bump the 21-year-old catcher up to Omaha.”
With Triple-A Omaha, Jensen is hitting .289/.400/.651 with 14 home runs, 39 RBI and a 1.051 OPS. He wouldn’t necessarily spell Salvador Perez for an everyday catching role, but his bat is good enough for him to at least be in the lineup. At the very least, he could serve as the team’s backup catcher instead of Luke Maile.
Being able to address that hole internally would be a huge boost for the Royals as they try to make a push for the postseason. They won 86 games last year and were the second AL Wild Card team, losing the ALDS to the New York Yankees.
But Jensen’s bat could help give them a boost and also allow them a glimpse into the future as he could receive some important runway down the stretch.
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