Springfield, MO – The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that Cardinals 1B Matt Adams will join the Springfield Cardinals on a rehab assignment this Friday through Sunday.

Springfield hosts the Tulsa Drillers at Hammons Field on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at 6:09 p.m. Click below to get your tickets right now.

Adams, 24, started the 2013 season in St. Louis and is hitting .542 (13-for-24) with three home runs and eight RBIs through eight games with the Cardinals. The Philipsburg, PA native made his Major League debut on May 20, 2012 and appeared in 27 games with the Cardinals last year.

Adams spent the entire 2011 season with the Springfield Cardinals, compiling a .300 batting average with 32 home runs and 101 RBIs through 115 games en route to being named the 2011 Texas League Player of the Year. He was originally selected by St. Louis in the 23rd round of the 2009 June Draft out of Slippery Rock University (PA).

ST. LOUIS, Mo, January 22, 2013 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have agreed to terms with pitcher Jason Motte on a two-year contract for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, avoiding salary arbitration.

Motte, 30, tied for the National League lead with a career high 42 saves in 2012 and became the first Cardinal in franchise history to record every save during the season. The right-hander ranked 9th among N.L. relievers last season with a career high 86 strikeouts, 8th with a .191 opponent’s batting average and T11th in innings pitched (72.0). He also ranked second in the league with 58 games finished.

“We are excited to be able to have Jason under control for the next two years,” said team Sr. Vice President & General Manager, John Mozeliak. “We wanted to recognize what Jason has accomplished for the Cardinals and the role he has played in our bullpen. He exemplifies the type of player on and off the field we want in our organization, and we’re looking forward to having him part of the team for the next two seasons.”

Motte made his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2008 and since that time has a 17-13 career record with 54 saves. His 54 saves rank 11th all-time among Cardinals relievers, and his 42 saves last season marked the 6th-highest total in a single season, becoming just the fourth Cardinal in franchise history to reach the 40-save plateau (Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Jason Isringhausen).

From MLBTradeRumors.com - The agreement buys out Motte’s two final years of arbitration, but won’t delay his path to free agency. He still projects to hit the open market following the 2014 season. Motte had filed for a $5.5MM salary for 2013 and the Cardinals had countered with $4.5MM, as MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker shows. The 30-year-old set himself up for a raise from his 2012 salary of $1.95MM by posting a 2.75 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and an NL-best 42 saves this past season.

The deal is worth $12MM and includes performance bonuses, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

Motte’s signing leaves two arbitration eligible players left unsigned: third baseman David Freese and left handed pitcher Marc Rzepczynski.

For 2013, the Kansas City Royals invited nine pitchers, four catchers, four infielders and four outfielders to Spring Training in Surprise, AZ. This year’s list of invitees are a mix of young prospects and veteran Minor and Major League players wanting a shot at the Majors.

It’s a long shot for any of these players to make the Opening Day roster. They need an extraordinary spring training and other regular players to succumb to injury or poor performance. And the Royals would need to add them to the 40-man roster. If the team has to rely on these players to win in 2013, they’re in trouble. I’ll list the players invited and who I think could make the Opening Day roster.

Pitchers (9): RHP Blaine Boyer, RHP Sugar Ray Marimon, RHP Michael Mariot, RHP Brian Sanches, LHP Atahualpa Severino, LHP George Sherrill, RHP Yordano Ventura, LHP Ryan Verdugo, RHP Dan Wheeler

Most likely to make the roster: Ryan Verdugo, Dan Wheeler

The 25-year-old Ryan Verdugo spent most of 2012 with AAA Omaha, had a 12-4 record with a 3.75 ERA. He had a forgettable Major League debut last July, lasting 1.2 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs against the Seattle Mariners. He’ll need an impressive spring training to make the Royals Opening Day roster. And if he does make the Royals roster, it’s probably as a reliever.

Dan Wheeler is a 13-year veteran reliever with a career 3.98 ERA in 589 games with 640.2 innings pitched. He has a good 2.86 SO/BB ratio and does better against right-handed batters with a 4.04 SO/BB ratio compared to a 1.70 SO/BB ratio against left-handed batters. If he has a good spring, he could offer veteran leadership for a young bullpen.

Catchers (4): Adam Moore, Manuel (Manny) Pina, Max Ramirez, Julio Rodriguez

Most likely to make the roster: Manuel (Manny) Pina

If it wasn’t for a knee injury during last year’s spring training, the 25-year-old Pina would be the backup to Brayan Pena after Salvador Perez‘s knee injury. Pena signed with the Detroit Tigers this offseason, so Pina could be the Royals backup catcher.

Infielders (4): Christian Colon, Anthony Seratelli, Miguel Tejada, Brandon Wood

Most likely to make the roster: Christian Colon, Miguel Tejada

If Johnny Giavotella and Chris Getz falter, the Royals may give the 23-year-old Christian Colon a shot at second. Yes, he spent most of Minor League career as a shortstop, but Alcides Escobar is the starting shortstop and he’s not going anywhere. Second base is the best chance for Colon to make the big leagues, and the Royals should give him every chance to do so. The question is, will they?

If this was ten years ago, the Royals signing Miguel Tejada would be a big deal. But now it’s just a once great player trying to make it back to the Majors. For most of his career, Tajada played shortstop. If the six-time All-Star and 2002 MVP has any hope of making the club, he’ll have to do it at second base. He’s played a few games at second and it’s rumored the Royals may add him to the 40-man roster. It would be nice for the 38-year-old Tejada to make a comeback and have a good season, but not at the expense of a younger player like Colon.

Outfielders (4): Endy Chavez, Luis Durango, Xavier Nady, Willy Taveras

Most likely to make the roster: Endy Chavez, Xavier Nady

Remember Endy Chavez making his Major League debut with the Royals in 2001? If not, it’s understandable, since he only played 29 games with a .208 batting average. After bouncing around with seven other teams, the 34-year-old Chavez is back with the Royals. He’s become a part-time outfielder, who only appeared in 64 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He did play 21 games last season in right field, so fans can hope he supplants Jeff Francoeur this season. It’s not likely to happen. If Chavez isn’t on the Royals roster, he’ll probably be in Omaha.

The 34-year-old Xaiver Nady is an 11 year Major League veteran who’s spent the last few years as a backup outfielder/pinch hitter. A career .270 hitter, he’s got power potential and he hits well against left and right-handed pitching, but with players like Jarrod Dyson and David Lough ahead of him, Nady is probably Omaha bound.

A few years ago, many of these players would be seriously vying for roster spots. But today these players are organizational depth and “Plan B” players. And that’s a good thing.

So I assumed you’ve already tuned out the playoffs, what with the Tigers, Yankees and Cardinals all advancing. Instead, let’s take a look at October baseball Kansas City Royals style, the Arizona Fall League. The Royals sent eight players to Arizona, here’s a little bit about each of them and what we can hope to see.

J.C. Sulbaran- Absolutely the most interesting prospect in Arizona. He came over in the Jonathan Broxton trade and struggled mightily after joining Northwest Arkansas but that was almost entirely due to control issues. At just 22 years old, there is plenty of time for Sulbaran to blossom into a back of the rotation starter. Sulbaran has yet to take the mound yet in Arizona. A great sign for the Royals would be if Sulbaran dominates the lesser competition in Arizona and keeps his walks down.

Edwin Carl- 24 year-old pitcher with impressive peripherals, but that’s what you’d expect from a 24 year old that’s yet to get to AA. Carl has struck out over 11 batters per nine innings in his minor league career with an outstanding 5.4-1 K/BB ratio. Carl gave up two hits including a home run in his fall league debut.

John Keck- 24 year-old left handed relief pitcher that finally dominated high-A ball this season, earning a promotion to AA. Keck does not stike a lot of people out, and he struggles with his control. It’s a major long shot that we ever see him in Kansas City. Keck has already given up 3 unearned runs on 5 hits in just 1.1 innings this fall.

Justin Marks- 24 year-old left handed starting pitcher that pitched well in AA this season. Marks came to the Royals as part of the David DeJesus trade. A great performance is Anrizona could lead to an assignment in Omaha in 2012, putting him in line to fill a gap once the third or fourth Tommy John injury is sustained. Marks threw three hitless innings in his Fall League debut, walking two and striking out two.

Alex McClure- 23 year-old shortstop that has shown no ability to hit at any level. Played half a season in Northwest Arkansas in 2012 and posted an OPS of .525, which is just slightly below his career OPS. Mcclure is 1/6 wuth an error in two fall games thus far.

Whit Merrifield- 23 year-old outfielder/second baseman that has shown limited promise in his time in the organization. This is likely his last chance to make an impression on the organization. Merrifield has started the fall 2/8 with two runs scored, he’s also committed an error.

Brian Fletcher- 23 (soon to be 24) year-old outfielder that progressed to AA mid-season. Fletcher has 31 home runs in 857 career minor league at bats, but he would have to have an impressive fall and outstanding 2013 to have any chance to figure in the Royals long term plans. Fletcher is 3/10 with an RBI in three games of Arizona Fall League action.

Orlando Calixte- 20 year-old SS from the Dominican Republic that committed 46 errors in 123 games in 2012. Calixte did have his best year at the plate in 2012, smacking 14 home runs and posting a respectable .759 OPS. At 20, and already with 60 games at High-A ball under his belt, Calixte could really benefit if the time in Arizone helps him with the glove. Calixte is 3/9 in three games, and he’s yet to commit an error. An outstaning sign for the Royals would be if Calixte could end the fall with the same number of errors he has now, more realistically he needs to improve drastically on his ratio of an error every three games.

Add another body to the pile.

The St. Louis Cardinals placed lefty Jaime Garcia on the 15-day disabled list because of a shoulder strain. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Garcia has tears in both his rotator cuff and labrum and is likely to be sidelined for at least two months. The Cards called up Joe Kelly from Triple-A Memphis to take Garcia’s turn in the rotation Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. Anything beyond that is probably semi-up in the air.

At this point, it seems like the only valid response to news like this is a shrug of the shoulders and an uninterested “What’s next?” The Cards are close to being able to field a complete disabled list team now. That this team is even one game over .500 is kind of remarkable.

Though that may not last once the Garcia injury truly hits this team. Sure it’s nice to see Kelly make his Major League debut or a guy like Brandon Dickson get a shot at a couple of turns in the rotation. But if they stumble or prove they are not ready for The Show, what happens then? Do the Cards keep bringing minor leaguers up until one sticks? Do they convert another reliever—maybe a guy like Mitchell Boggs—into a starter?

Right now, the Cardinals have three starters they can count on night in and night out: Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, and Lance Lynn. But even they are not in ideal situations. Wainwright is still regaining form after missing all of last year, Lohse is prone to streaks of inconsistency as the season wears on, and Lynn is in his first full season as a starter. Jake Westbrook takes the ball every fifth day, but that’s about it in terms of his steadiness. This rotation has no mortal-lock rock to lean on. And that is a scary thing to think about when the season is more than two months old and it’s likely to be at least two more months until guys like Garcia or Chris Carpenter are even sniffing reactivation.

Make no mistake about it—this team is in the midst of quite possibly its greatest test of the year. The only thing that could make it worse is if Rafael Furcal, Carlos Beltran, and Yadier Molina have arms and legs start falling off. Maybe Matt Holliday, David Freese, and Jason Motte could all come down with plague at the same time, too. Would that really surprise anyone?

Man…just listing out those names and thinking about the players the Cards already have on the DL…this team really had a chance to be special, if not dominant, from wire to wire.

I know, I know. In 2006, the Cards had a similar truckload of injuries and got healthy just in time for the playoffs. In 2011, they made up 10.5 games after August 25. Anything truly is possible, and in no way should this team be given up on so early in the season.
But 2012 has all the makings of a “what if” year so far. And those are painful to deal with. Think about it. What If Holliday caught that liner in Los Angeles in 2009? What If Carpenter hadn’t been injured in 2004? What If Vince Coleman got out of the way of the tarp in 1985? And What If the 2012 Cardinals only sustained half the injuries they have to date?

Maybe the better way to look at it is, What If the Cards can get this team whole again? One thing is for certain: if they can’t, they are in serious trouble.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

Will Smith, one of the Royals pitching prospects, didn’t show his potential in Wednesday night’s 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. Smith pitched three and a third innings, giving up six hits and five runs, all earned, with three of the runs home runs. He struck out one and walked one. Smith left the game with a glittering 13.50 ERA and got the loss. After Smith faced 16 batters, long reliever Luis Mendoza came in to relieve Smith. Honestly, Mendoza should have started the game instead of Smith.

Usually, a debuting pitcher does well against a lineup that hasn’t seen them before. But these are the New York Yankees, and they weren’t fooled B. Smith.

Smith’s start is similar with another Royal pitcher who made their Major League debut at Yankee Stadium. The immortal Eduardo Villacis.

Royals fans remember the right-handed Villacis, but not fondly. It was at a low point in the Royals 2004 season, which was already spiraling out of control. Expectations were high after an 83-79 2003 season, but when Villacis started the May 1 game against the Yankees, the Royals were 7-15 and had lost their last three games.

Villacis was called up from AA Wichita to fill in for the injured Darrell May. Unlike Smith, Villacis wasn’t a prospect. In fact, few Royals fans knew who he was. Most of the Royals players didn’t know him either.

But Villacis could throw strikes, said former General Manager Allard Baird. In his Major League debut, Villacis threw 36 strikes out of 66 pitches, but didn’t strike out anyone and walked four Yankees. He pitched three and a third innings, gave up six hits and five runs, all earned, with a glittering 13.50 ERA and the loss. Just like Will Smith. At least Villacis only gave up one home run compared to Smith’s three home runs. Then again, Smith threw one more strikeout than Villacis.

The 12-4 loss to the Yankees would be Villacis’ only Major League appearance. He was sent back to Wichita and on May 24, 2004 Villacis was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. On July 20, 2005 Villacis was released by the White Sox, ending his baseball career.

It’s doubtful Smith will suffer the same fate as Villacis, seeing he’s one of the Royals pitching prospects. But one has to wonder how this will affect Smith’s development. Smith may be sent back to Omaha, or make another start with the Royals. It depends how the Royals view Smith. Does the team consider him a prospect who had a bad debut and will get another Major League start, or a pitcher who needs more seasoning in the minors? With the Royals, it’s hard to say. Just look how they’re handling second baseman, uh, designated hitter Johnny Giavotella.

KANSAS CITY, MO (April 25, 2012) — The Kansas City Royals selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Tommy Hottovy from Triple-A Omaha today and optioned right-handed pitcher Jeremy Jeffress to Omaha. With the selection of Hottovy, who is expected to be in uniform tonight (#46) in Cleveland, the Royals 40-man roster stands at 40.  In addition, the club returned outfielder Lorenzo Cain from his rehab assignment with Northwest Arkansas (AA).  Cain remains on the 15-day D.L.

Hottovy, 30, was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in seven relief appearances with the Storm Chasers.  The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder had allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 10.0 innings, walking five and striking out 17.  A Kansas City, Mo., native, Hottovy made his Major League debut for the Boston Red Sox last season, recording no record and a 6.75 ERA (4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO) in eight relief outings.  Hottovy graduated from Park Hill South High School in Riverside, Mo., and Wichita State University.

Jeffress, 24, combined to toss 1.0 scoreless inning over two relief appearances for the Royals, allowing four hits and walking two.

Cain, who has been on the Disabled List since April 13 with a left groin strain, made three rehab starts for the Naturals and was 1-for-9 at the plate. He exited last night’s game and is currently being re-evaluated by the Royals medical staff in Kansas City.

Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon has been named spokesperson for 2012 MLB All-Star FanFest, which will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center/Bartle Hall from Friday, July 6^th through Tuesday, July 10^th. Gordon joins a notable list of MLB players who have served in this role including Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols. As the spokesperson, Gordon will generate awareness for and make a variety of appearances on behalf of the event.

“MLB All-Star FanFest captures the thrills and excitement of Major League Baseball and brings it to life for the fans,” said Gordon. “I’m honored and excited to be a part of this amazing event.”

Gordon, the second pick of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, set career-highs in every offensive category in 2011, batting .303 with 185 hits, 45 doubles, four triples, 23 home runs, 87 RBI, 101 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 151 games.  In his first full season as an outfielder, the 28-year-old captured an A.L. Rawlings Gold Glove, becoming the 10^th different Royals player (19^th time overall) to win the award. The Lincoln, Nebraska native led the Major Leagues with a franchise-record 20 outfield assists, becoming just the 24^th player in the Major Leagues since 1969 to have at least 20 in a single season. The University of Nebraska product was one of five Major Leaguers in 2011 and one of four Royals in history to hit .300 with at least 45 doubles and 20 home runs, joining Hal McRae (1982), Mike Sweeney (2001) and Billy Butler (2009).  Gordon, who was a candidate in the 2011 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint, made his Major League debut in 2007 and led the team with a franchise rookie-record of 36 doubles.

MLB All-Star FanFest will transform the Kansas City Convention Center/Bartle Hall into the largest interactive baseball theme park in the world, providing an unrivaled experience for fans of all ages. Visitors will experience more than 400,000 square feet of baseball fun with attractions including exhibits from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, batting cages, clinics, free autograph sessions with former Royals, MLB legends and Hall of Famers, memorabilia and much more.

Sample attractions include:

• ·         The Diamond – Located at the center of MLB All-Star FanFest, this attraction features daily clinics and appearances by MLB players, managers and other experts. Past appearances have included Tony Gwynn, Torii Hunter, Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken, Jr., David Wright and many other MLB greats
• ·         Legends Autograph Program – Free autographs from Hall of Famers and MLB legends. Players such as Andre Dawson, Rollie Fingers, Ferguson Jenkins and Juan Marichal have previously signed for fans at MLB All-Star FanFest
• ·         National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum – Take a stroll through Baseball’s glorious past and experience the history of the national pastime with one of the largest collections of artifacts on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown
• ·         The Negro Leagues – A compelling visual journey back in time, the Negro Leagues attraction brings to life the heroic history of some of the game’s proudest and most talented players
• ·         Hometown Heroes – Hometown Heroes showcases Kansas City Royals history, roots in the community and promise for the future
• ·         World’s Largest Baseball – What better way to welcome families to the largest baseball fan event in the world than with the World’s Largest Baseball? The signature white leather, red-laced ball measures 12 feet in diameter and features the signatures of baseball greats such as Hank Aaron, Rod Carew, Derek Jeter, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith and Ted Williams

All MLB All-Star FanFest attractions are included with the price of admission. The only additional event costs are for concessions, memorabilia and merchandise. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under (children two and under are admitted free), senior citizens and military personnel. Tickets for MLB All-Star FanFest are sold on a timed-entry basis, providing fans the ability to reserve the day and time of their choice. Once inside the venue, fans can stay at MLB All-Star FanFest as long as they wish until the event’s closing time. MLB is also offering several discount options:

• ·         MLB All-Star FanFest Family Pack – $5 off each ticket purchased in packages of four to seven
• ·         FanFest Eat and Play Combo – Four tickets, four Pepsis, four hot dogs all for $110
• ·         Buy One, Get One Free Friday – Buy one full-price ticket on Friday, July 6^th, and get the second ticket for the same date for free
• ·         Two for Tuesday – Buy two full-price tickets for Tuesday, July 10^th, and get two additional tickets for the same date for free

To purchase, visit the official All-Star Game website of Major League Baseball (AllStarGame.com), the official Royals website (royals.com/2012), the Royals Box Office at Kauffman Stadium or call 1-888-FanFest (326-3378).

For more MLB All-Star Week information, please visit allstargame.com, facebook.com/MLBAllStarGame and the All-Star Game Twitter account (@AllStarGame).

Springfield, MO - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the Springfield Cardinals roster for the upcoming season.

New Manager Mike Shildt and returning Hitting Coach Phillip Wellman and Pitching Coach Bryan Eversgerd will be well stocked heading into the 2012 season.

Returning to the roster are 15 players who appeared in a Springfield uniform last year, including Texas League All-Star Pitchers Michael Blazek and Scott Gorgen.  Blazek led the Cardinals with 11 wins and finished second in the Texas League in strikeouts (128).  Gorgen, coming off of Tommy John Surgery that made his miss the 2011 season, was 5-1 with a 1.26 ERA for Springfield in 2010.

The starting staff will feature Gorgen, #17 prospect John Gast (9-8, 4.02 ERA), #11 Prospect Trevor Rosenthal (7-7, 4.11 ERA), Michael Blazek (11-6, 5.45 ERA) and lefty Tyler Lyons (9-4, 4.50 ERA Several other familiar names from the mound will be at Hammons Field in 2012 as starter John Gast and relievers Sam Freeman, Deryk Hooker Jorge Rondon, Scott Schneider, Jesse Simpson and Kevin Thomas return to Springfield.  New to Springfield bullpen are right handers Keith Butler (1-1, 1.23 ERA with Quad Cities and Palm Beach) and Eric Fornataro (7-13, 3.67 ERA with Palm Beach as a starter) and lefty Justin Wright (5-1, 1.26 ERA with Quad Cities and 0-0, 0.57 ERA with Palm Beach).

Leading the infield at second base is newcomer Kolten Wong, a 2011 1^st round pick out of the University of Hawaii and the 5^th best prospect in the organization.  Xavier Scruggs returns to Springfield after slugging 21 homers in Palm Beach and Jose Garcia (.318 and 19 steals) will be Wong’s double play partner.  Niko Vasquez also makes his return to the hot corner.  Fellow University of Hawaii product Greg Garcia will make if Double-A debut this year.

Number three Prospect Oscar Taveras will patrol the Hammons Field outfield after skipping Palm Beach entirely to make his Texas League debut in 2012.  Taveras batted .386 with eight homeruns and 62 RBI in only 78 games for Quad Cities last season.  Tommy Pham returns to Springfield after an injury plagued 2011 season and will be joined by newcomers Adam Melker, Raniel Rosario and Jake Shaffer, who was signed by the Cardinals out of the Mariners organization on March 31^st.

The team arrived on Sunday and hosted the defending world champion St. Louis Cardinals Monday in a 3-2 defeat. They start the season against the Frisco RoughRiders tonight and 7:08pm! Scott Gorgen is scheduled to pitch for the Cardinals against Justin Grimm of the RoughRiders. All games in 2012 can be heard live on JOCK 98.7 FM as well as online at springfieldcardinals.com with play-by-play voice Jeff Levering.

Opening Night will feature 5,000 fans receiving a Great Southern 2012 Magnet Schedule/Picture Frames, the first of nine “Buck a Brat” $1 Johnson Bratwurst nights and everyone will enjoy a post-game Fireworks Spectacular thanks to AM Pyrotechnics.  Tickets are available by visiting the Hammons Field Ticket Office, online at www.springfieldcardinals.com or by calling (417) 863-2143.

Escape to Cardinals Baseball!

This early in spring training, it’s sort of unusual for the Kansas City Royals to have so many lineup and pitching positions already set with potentially good players. In springs past, the Royals usually had several players fighting for roster spots and many times the players who made the roster were marginal at best.

Even though spring training games just started, a few of the lesser-known Royals players have made their impressions. Some are good. Some, not so good.

Starting pitcher Luis Mendoza is making his case for a spot in the starting rotation. In last Sunday’s Cactus League debut against the Texas Rangers, Mendoza threw 36 pitches, giving up an infield hit, a walk and no runs over two innings, contributing to a Royals 6-1 victory.

Mendoza, 28, bounced around with the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers over an 11-year professional career before figuring it out in AAA Omaha last year. Mendoza is out of options and the Royals are taking a long look to see if he can fill a spot in the starting rotation. What happens over the next few starts will determine if he makes the starting rotation, goes to Omaha or another Major League club picks him up if he goes on waivers.

Another Royals player making the most of his opportunities is third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. In the second game against the Rangers, Kouzmanoff came off the bench and hit a walk-off two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to give the Royals a 7-6 win over the Rangers.

A year or two ago, Kouzmanoff might have been the Royals starting third baseman, especially with Alex Gordon’s struggles at third. But with Mike Moustakas solidly at third base, the 30 year-old Kouzmanoff knows he’ll likely be in Omaha unless Moustakas gets hurt. Kouzmanoff can opt out of his contract if he’s not on the Major League roster by May 1. If he has a good spring and returns to his early career form, another Major League team might give Kouzmanoff a chance.

In the Tuesday split-squad game against the San Diego Padres, catcher Max Ramirez belted two home runs as the designated hitter, contributing to the Royals 7-4 win. Then in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Ramirez smacked a two-run single in the ninth.

With Manny Pina recovering from knee surgery, the 27 year-old Ramirez has an opportunity to be the Royals backup catcher over current incumbent Brayan Pena. Being a non-roster invitee, Ramirez will need to keep playing well to make the Royals roster.

Another player who wants to make a good impression is starting pitcher Zach Miner. Well, maybe next time. In Miner’s spring training debut, the right-hander gave up a three-run homer, three hits, a walk and threw two strikeouts over 1.2 innings in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. It’s only Miner’s first start and he will have plenty of chances to win a spot in the Royals starting rotation. And if not, there’s always Omaha.

Reliever Jeremy Jeffress pitched a scoreless inning in the Tuesday split-squad game against the Indians. While Jeffress had a solid outing, it’s his off-field issues which are a concern. This January, Jeffress was charged with three counts of domestic assault, criminal damage and disorderly conduct after an argument with his girlfriend in Surprise, AZ. The first two charges were dismissed and Jeffress was sentenced to 20 hours of community service for the disorderly conduct charge and required to attend a domestic-violence counseling class. Jeffress did not physically assault his girlfriend and apologized to the Royals and their fans for the incident.

Everyone makes mistakes and the best way to overcome mistakes is to learn from them. But Jeffress has already served a 50 game suspension in 2007 and a 100 game suspension in 2009 for testing positive for marijuana. Another failed drug test will be a lifetime ban from baseball. The 24 year old right-hander will need to make a good impression this spring to make the Royals bullpen. For now, the Royals stand behind Jeffress and he appears to be making the effort to do better on and off the field. For Jeffress sake, let’s hope he does.

To be honest, these players could have one of the best springs in their careers and still not break camp with the Royals. In past years, these players would have a good chance to make the Major League roster. But with the Royals depth, it’s likely these players will end up in Omaha. And for the Royals and their fans, that’s a good thing.