Royals Urged To Send Down Young Speedster After Prolonged Slump At Plate

The Kansas City Royals are still alive in the American League Wild Card race despite a 9 1/2-game deficit in the AL Central. They are just 3 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot, which is currently held by the Seattle Mariners.

The Royals made a few upgrades to their offense at the trade deadline, adding Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk. Their pitching has been a strength for much of the year, even with a few arms out.

Caleb Moody of FanSided recently listed two players that should be called up and one that should be sent down to the minor leagues. He called for utility man Tyler Tolbert to be demoted.

"This may seem harsh, considering he has qualities that make him a useful major league bench piece. He can play multiple positions while also providing absolutely blistering speed," Moody writes.

"With names like Adam Frazier and Nick Loftin already on the roster, who've proven to be just as versatile with stronger hitting capabilities, is Tolbert's speed really worth keeping him around if bat is falling behind?"

Tolbert's bat has been struggling a bit. He is hitting just .208/.240/.333 with one home run, two RBI and a miserable .573 OPS. Most of the damage has been done on the basepaths, where he has stolen 11 bases during the regular season.

But if the Royals are looking for an offensive boost, they likely will not get it from Tolbert, meaning that a demotion might make sense as they try to figure things out.

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