The Royals are off to a brutal start at the Rate on Monday, as they are down 3-0 after one. That is not the start in Chicago they wanted, especially after losing two of three in Detroit over the weekend.
Noah Cameron hasn’t had his best outing so far, as he has given up three runs on four hits on 32 pitches (and remember, it’s only been one inning). Hopefully, as I write this, the Royals can make up some ground and avoid losing game one of this series.
(Update: they are now down 6-0, and they seem to be on their way to an embarrassing loss, even with the White Sox much better at home than they are on the road.)
While there is still plenty of baseball left to be played on Monday evening, there were a few Royals stories that caught my eye earlier in the day. Thus, in this edition of the “Jottings,” let’s take a look at who the Royals activated off the injured list, an Omaha player who earned league-wide honors after a big week, and the latest promotion of a pitching prospect who’s had a sneakily productive season.
Massey Returns to Kansas City; Rave Optioned
Earlier this afternoon, the Royals announced they would activate Michael Massey from his rehab stint in Omaha and, in a corresponding move, option outfielder John Rave to Omaha.
Massey hasn’t played for the Royals since June 7th, as he initially went on the IL due to an ankle injury. Before the injury, it was a brutal season for Massey overall, as he was hitting .202 with a .479 OPS in 209 plate appearances.
While he initially started a rehab stint earlier in the summer, he had to be removed from his initial stint due to other issues. Massey also dealt with back issues in 2024, and it was hinted that those problems may have flared back up during his initial rehab stint in Omaha.
In 25 games and 106 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers this year in his “extended” rehab appearance, Massey slashed .258/.321/.433 with a .754 OPS and four home runs. He also posted a 95 wRC+ and 0.29 BB/K ratio, which are both pretty mediocre marks, especially for a player who’s been primarily with the Royals’ big-league roster for nearly two seasons prior.
When it comes to his Statcast data, Massey did show some promising barrel and Sweet Spot% metrics. However, the rest of his profile, especially on a batted-ball end, didn’t look great in Omaha, as demonstrated in his TJ Stats profile below.
The Royals did have a few days to activate Massey from his “restarted” rehab assignment. That said, Massey has a .967 OPS and four home runs in 46 career plate appearances at Rate Field going into this series. Thus, I’m guessing the Royals are hoping that the “hometown” vibes can not only “spark” Massey but also help the team win this upcoming series against the White Sox.
To make room for Massey, the Royals optioned Rave, who had stretches where he looked promising, but didn’t produce consistently, especially at the plate.
While Rave did have a 10.3% walk rate, he also struck out 25.2% of the time and only hit .199 with a .610 OPS in 156 plate appearances with the Royals. He was also inconsistent defensively, and his Statcast metrics weren’t anything to write home about, as illustrated in his TJ Stats profile below.
Rave was pretty subpar in nearly every hard-hit category (barrel, hard-hit, and average EV), and while he didn’t chase much, he put himself in way too many pitcher-friendly counts. A 42.4% swing rate and 58.9% Z-Swing% are way too low, especially for someone who doesn’t sport a ton of power. Pitchers challenged Rave a lot, and his passive approach didn’t produce results, sans that stretch after the All-Star Break.
I think there could be some potential with Rave to be a 4th outfielder, but I’m more than willing to give Massey a chance over Rave for now, mainly since Massey provides more versatility with the glove.
Castro Earns International League Player of the Week Honors
The Omaha Storm Chasers had a heck of a week, highlighted by their ridiculous 23-7 victory over the Columbus Clippers (the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate) on August 23rd that featured 10 home runs by Omaha hitters.
While familiar names had big recent performances for the Storm Chasers against the Clippers (MJ Melendez, Jac Caglianone, and Drew Waters), one name that was sensational at the plate over the past week was Harold Castro.
Castro, formerly of the Rockies and Tigers, signed with the Royals as a Minor League free agent in Spring Training but did not make the roster out of camp in Surprise. He’s pretty much stayed in Omaha this year, but he’s produced solid stretches of play, with this most recent week being one of them.
After a solid performance against the Clippers, Castro was named the International League Player of the Week, according to this recent press release. Here’s a snip from the write-up.
Castro went 14-for-25 (.560 average) at the plate during Omaha’s road series against the Columbus Clippers. The infielder connected for 3 home runs, 4 doubles and drove in 14 runs, with a 1.687 OPS in his six games against the Cleveland Guardians affiliate. The 31-year-old also won the International League Player of the Week last week for his performance against the St. Paul Saints.
After spending 2024 in Mexico with the Toros de Tijuana, Castro has hit .304 (89-for-293) with a .870 OPS over 79 games with Omaha in 2025. He ranks 2nd on the Storm Chasers with 75 hits and 14 home runs, while 3rd on the team with 127 total bases and 41 runs batted in. Castro has made at least 6 starts at all 4 infield positions for Omaha, making one start at each position, besides shortstop, in his award-winning week.
Castro is an interesting player when looking at his Statcast profile via TJ Stats.
Castro doesn’t consistently hit the ball hard, as his 35.9% hard-hit rate and 86.7 MPH average EV both rate as subpar. Thus, it’s not surprising that his .366 wOBA is 49 points higher than his xwOBA. That hints at some batted ball luck this season, and the extreme wOBA spike in his rolling chart (in the bottom lower half) seems to confirm that as well.
That said, the 31-year-old is a high-contact hitter (21.4% whiff rate; 86.8% Z-Contact%) who can go on impressive power stretches, especially in hitter-friendly confines. He can also play multiple positions and consistently produces professional at-bats. There isn’t a ton of value there, but it’s something, especially for teams that lack those kinds of bats in the lineup.
I don’t think Castro’s tenure in the Royals organization will be long, as I do think he’ll play elsewhere in 2026. However, he has the potential to have one last good run in him for a team that’s willing to give him a chance. I wonder if a club like the Pirates, Rockies, White Sox, or Nationals would give Castro that shot as a utility player next season.
Panzini Earns Call Up To Omaha
In some surprising call-up news, the Royals’ Player Development account, Raising Royals, announced the promotion of pitcher Shane Panzini to Omaha from Northwest Arkansas.
I have talked about Panzini as an underrated pitching prospect in the Royals system this year, and he has thrived this season at both the High-A and Double-A levels.
With the River Bandits, he produced a 29.8% K rate, a 20.7% K-BB%, and a 2.76 ERA in 29.1 IP. As a result of this stellar stint in Quad Cities, he was promoted to Northwest Arkansas and didn’t miss a beat. With the Nautrals, he posted a 27% K rate, an 18.3% K-BB%, and 3.16 ERA in 57 IP.
Thus, Panzini earned every bit of this promotion to Triple-A, especially when one has watched tape of him in action on the mound.
He’s not an imposing presence, but he attacks batters and sports solid command and pitch quality. It will be interesting to see how his stuff profiles at the Triple-A level, where Statcast metrics will be publicly available (unlike Double-A or High-A).
The Storm Chasers likely called up Panzini because their pitching has been brutal all season. While park factors tend to be hitter-friendly in the International League, Omaha’s 5.40 ERA still ranked as the third-worst mark of any pitching staff.
With a lack of quality arms in Omaha beyond Luinder Avila and Ben Kudrna, Panzini will get plenty of chances to show that he deserves to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason (he is Rule 5 eligible).
Photo Credit: Omaha Storm Chasers