Royals Announce Series Of Roster Moves Ahead Of Friday's Opener With Blue Jays

The Kansas City Royals are still alive in the American League Wild Card race. While there are a few teams ahead of them for the final spot, they are only 3 1/2 games back, so a return trip to the postseason may not be a stretch.

They are 54-55 heading into a three-game weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays. They were recently buyers at the trade deadline, adding Adam Frazier, Randal Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski and Stephen Kolek.

On Friday, the team announced a series of roster moves ahead of the series opener with the Blue Jays.

Utilityman Nick Loftin was reinstated from the 7-Day Concussion Injured List. Yastrzemski was added to the active roster while both Kolek and outfielder MJ Melendez were optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Outfielder Joey Wiemer, who was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in the Jonathan India trade, has been designated for assignment, while left-hander Kris Bubic has been transferred to the 60-Day Injured List.

Yastrzemski will be active for tonight's game against the Blue Jays and could potentially find himself in the starting lineup. He was acquired from the San Francisco Giants in the final trade before the deadline passed at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.

Bubic's season is likely over. He tore the rotator cuff in his throwing arm, which leaves a major hole in Kansas City's rotation.

Losing Bubic for the season is a big loss as the Royals try to compete for the final Wild Card spot. We'll see if they can make it into the postseason.

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