Latest call-up could be exactly what Royals utility man needs to carve out regular role

Amid their epic seven-game losing skid and plummet to the worst record in baseball, nothing has gone right for the Royals. Their offense looks nowhere near where it should be for their contending ambitions, their bullpen is the worst in baseball and their starting rotation is showing some regression from their early dominance. And now ahead of the opening game of their six-game home stand, you can add further injuries to the list things going wrong in Kansas City.

The Royals announced that second baseman Jonathan India has landed on the 10-day IL with left shoulder subluxation. India hadn’t exactly been thriving in his platoon role at second to start the season, hitting .167 with a .623 OPS and 83 wRC+ in his first 17 games. With his platoon partner in Michael Massey also looking very underwhelming in the early stages of the year the door could be open for the Royals to change things up at the position. And perhaps this is where Nick Loftin could come into play.

The Royals called up from Triple-A Loftin to replace India on the active roster, marking his return to the team after being somewhat confusingly demoted just weeks ago. Loftin was one of the few early bright spots of the Royals’ season sporting an above-average 105 wRC+ in his first four games of the season thanks in large part for his knack for getting on base with a .364 OBP and 18.2% walk rate.

As it stands right now, among any Royals hitter with at least 10 plate appearances, Loftin’s 105 wRC+ places him only behind Carter Jensen and Kyle Isbel and above each of the Royals core four, their prized former prospect in Jac Caglianone and of course the current second base tandem.

If Loftin continues to build on his spring training momentum and performs at an above-average clip in his second big league stint of the season, there’s reason to think that they’ll be no need to throw around the term “third-stint” with him.

The Royals are long overdue for a breath of fresh air in the lineup

As someone who can play all around the infield and the corner outfield, there’s no shortage of places Loftin could make his mark in this lineup. In fact, as it stands right now, there’s plenty of places he can occupy that the Royals don’t fair well in in comparison to the rest of the league.

We’ve established that Loftin could make a difference at second base, but he could make his mark in the outfield, with Caglianone, Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas and Starling Marte all performing under par.

Not to mention, the term “mental breather” has been thrown around a lot in recent days amid the Salvador Perez Saturday benching drama, and while he wouldn’t displace anyone full-time in these spots, there are plenty of other stars, such as Vinnie Pasquantino, that could due with a day off.

But for now, the task ahead of Loftin is to show he belongs in the majors for longer than the short stints he’s become all-too familiar with in recent years.