Royals Rumblings - News for March 12, 2020

Royals Rumblings - News for March 12, 2020

Mike Matheny gives the latest update on Adalberto Mondesi.

“He’s doing more of what the whole team is doing right now,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s tracking well right now. It’s too bad because we were hoping to do a full on-the-field workout today. He took BP yesterday. Everything felt good. He just needs to keep getting more repetitions. That’s all. He’s already had live swings. I mean, he’s done most of that. Just making sure that when we’re going out here, doing a little more work, everything is still tracking well.”

Jesse Borek at MLB.com has a good piece on what Ryan O’Hearn is working on this spring.

During his 44-game stint with the club in 2018, O’Hearn produced a ground-ball rate of just 35.6 percent. But in his more extensive playing time last year, that number jumped to 48.1 percent.

While that mark sits only slightly above league average, O’Hearn all but deemed hitting ground balls anathema.

“Kind of gearing my swing and simplifying things, staying away from hitting the ball on the ground,” O’Hearn said of his time spent in the cage over the last few months. “But I still want to keep the same quality at-bats, keep the same hard-hit rate.”

Brady Singer’s start Wednesday was washed out, but he’ll pitch in relief today.

Nick Heath was assigned to minor league camp and tells Lynn Worthy what he’ll be working on.

“I think I’m definitely evolving as a hitter,” Heath said. “I’ve got a little more pop. I’ve got a little more drive when I hit baseballs. I’m working on different things in the cages that allow me to stay through balls longer.

”They’re trying to get me to hit the ball in the air just a little bit more because obviously in the big leagues those ground balls are outs now. So I’m just working on that, working on my swing path, working on everything, but obviously not forgetting my roots as somebody who can run.”

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy profiles catching prospect MJ Melendez.

Jordan Foote at Kings of Kauffman writes that Richard Lovelady has had a great spring.

Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler make ESPN’s top 100 players in baseball list.

The Rangers suspend pitcher Yohander Mendez for receiving outside medical treatment.

Old friend Johnny Cueto will get the Opening Day start for the Giants.

The Cardinals are having extension talks with catcher Yadier Molina.

The new three-batter minimum rule will be put into effect today, and not everyone is happy about it.

New MLB stadium food, ranked.

The coronavirus will likely impact the Seattle Mariners’ schedule.

Larry Walker will serve as an honorary emergency goalies for the Colorado Avalanche.

Longtime Sporting KC player Benny Feilhaber officially retires.

Rob Gronkowski is close to signing a deal with WWE.

The ridiculous ways companies are trying to profit off of the coronavirus.

The name of the Willis Tower in Chicago (formerly Sears Tower) could be changing once again.

Disney will open its Avengers campus is DisneyLand this July.

Your song of the day is The Fixx with One Things Leads to Another.