KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals reinstated top prospect Jac Caglianone from the injured list and promoted Carter Jensen, their second-ranked prospect, from Triple-A Omaha on Monday to build out their roster for the final month of the season.
The Royals also placed second baseman Jonathan India on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist and recalled reliever Luinder Avila, a hard-throwing right-hander, from Omaha to provide some depth in the bullpen.
The Royals were off Monday before starting a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. They began the day three games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final American League wild-card spot.
The 22-year-old Caglianone was called up earlier this season to provide a boost to a struggling Kansas City offense. He went on the IL on July 27 with a strained left hamstring, and the Royals have since traded for veteran outfielders Adam Frazier, Randal Grichuk and Mike Yastrzemski, which means Caglianone’s role could be diminished down the stretch.
Still, he provides some serious power off the bench, and after struggling in his first big league stint, Caglianone had been hitting well at Omaha. He was batting .385 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 16 games during his rehab assignment.
“It’s pretty evident that he’s strong enough and can hit the ball hard enough that he’s going to have success,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told reporters recently. “Trying to evaluate that is hard, but he’s doing very much the same thing that he did before he got called up the last time.”
The 22-year-old Jensen was picked in the third round of the first-year player draft out of Park Hill High School in Kansas City. He began the year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and was promoted to Omaha, where he was hitting .288 with 14 homers and 39 RBIs in just 43 games — a stat line that helped him earn a selection to the All-Star Futures Game.
The Royals sent backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline, leaving journeyman Luke Maile to back up veteran Salvador Perez. But he’s hitting just .200 with one homer and three RBIs in 17 games, which means Jensen could get a long look behind the plate as the Royals chase a second consecutive playoff berth.
India, who had been held out of the lineup over the weekend, is hitting .232 with eight homers and 41 RBIs. Frazier and Michael Massey are expected to get most of the work at second base while he is out.
The 24-year-old Avila made his big league debut earlier this season with a perfect inning Aug. 13 against Washington.
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