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First baseman Frank Schwindel has reportedly made the Royals' Opening Day roster, according to an announcement made by George Brett before Monday's exhibition game in Omaha. The 26-year old has been a fixture there the last two seasons, hitting .302/.338/.516 with 41 home runs in AAA.
The right-handed hitting Schwindel seems likely to split time at DH with Lucas Duda, and he could see time at first base as well splitting time with Ryan O'Hearn. Schwindel fared well against lefties in AAA last year, hitting .353/.402/.630 against them. Schwindel has also been working out at catcher and third base to offer more positional versatility.
The Royals are facing a lefty OD in Carlos Rodon. Schwindel hit .315/.326/.618 vs lefties in 2017 and .353/.402/.630 in 2018.
— Patrick Brennan (@paintingcorner) March 25, 2019
Good chance Schwindel is on that Opening Day lineup card.
The ZIPS projection system predicts Schwindel to be the fifth-best active hitter on the team so he could help add offense for a team that will need it. He is a free swinger with a low walk rate that could be exposed against big league pitchers although he did improve in that category last year.
Schwindel will need to be added to the 40-man roster, which currently has a vacancy with the release of Brian Goodwin. His stint in the big leagues could be short as the Royals will likely need a roster spot when a fourth starting pitcher is needed and Homer Bailey is added to the roster which would probably be on April 3.