Nicholas

Loftin

Loftin got 188 plate appearances over nearly four months with the Royals and hit .208/.278/.357. It seems like he should have been better, what with his fine 14% strikeout rate and adequate 34% hard-hit rate, but it wasn’t meant to be this time around. He should get another chance to compete for a utility role next spring.

The Royals picked Nick Loftin over Rave in left field against a righty for a second straight game tonight, but Rave was needed early and homered off Sean Burke in the third. He later singled and scored a second run. Loftin had a nice game, too, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk, so Rave didn’t make up much ground there. It’s possible Rave, currently hitting .217/.312/.358 in 140 plate appearances, will be sent down when Jac Caglianone comes off the injured list.

Loftin has been out since July 23 after suffering a concussion. The 26-year-old should be a depth piece for Kansas City now that he’s back on the roster.

Loftin will be replaced on the active roster by MJ Melendez, who has been hot at Triple-A. There’s a chance that Melendez plays well enough to supplant Loftin on the active roster going forward.

Loftin gave the Royals a 3-2 lead in the seventh with his homer off Mitch Keller, but the team needed more after Lucas Erceg surrendered the tying run in the eighth. Up again with one out and runners on the corners in the ninth, he lined one to center that Oneil Cruz came up a little shy of tracking down. Even if Cruz had caught it, it would have taken a dive or a slide, leaving him with little hope of throwing out Maikel Garcia at the plate. Loftin wasn’t playing much the previous few weeks, but he’s now started four games in a row and homered on back-to-back days. With his ability to do a little bit of everything, he could offer some value in deep mixed leagues if the Royals started treating him like a regular.

It’s a rare off day for Garcia, who hasn’t sat out since June 3. The 25-year-old could probably use a break after going 6-for-28 with zero homers and zero thefts over his last seven games. He’s connected for only three homers and picked up only 18 steals over his past 30 contests. It’ll be Nick Loftin filling in at the hot corner on Sunday afternoon in his place.

India takes a seat for the second straight game as he continues to deal with a left shoulder subluxation that he suffered while attempting to make a diving catch during Friday’s game. The 28-year-old is presumably available off the bench, if needed, with Nick Loftin handling the keystone in his absence.

India was removed from Friday night’s ballgame due to a shoulder injury that he suffered while diving for a ball behind second base. There have not been any updates yet regarding his status or how long he’ll be sidelined for. Nick Loftin will start in his place at second base on Saturday and could be in line for increased action if India requires an extended absence.

This will make back-to-back games against right-handed pitchers that Waters isn’t starting. The 26-year-old begins Friday’s game on the bench with Nick Loftin hitting seventh and playing left field.

Loftin was responsible for the Royals’ only extra-base hit and their only walks in the 1-0 loss. Manager Matt Quatraro has made it quite obvious he doesn’t think Loftin is a full-timer or anything close to it, but Loftin is 10-for-33 with five extra-base hits in limited action, good for an .896 OPS. Given the weak alternatives, he ought to be starting more than twice per week.