Five things to know about Royals catcher Meibrys Viloria, who joined KC on Saturday

As expected, the Royals on Saturday recalled catcher Meibrys Viloria from Class A-Advanced Wilmington.

Viloria’s family in Colombia, on the other hand, didn’t expect it. Or believe it.

“At first they actually didn’t believe me, but I just insisted that it was actually happening and it was a true blessing from God that I get to come up and be here today,“ Viloria said through translator Ian Kraft, a media relations intern with the Royals.

They’ll certainly believe it this weekend, as Viloria is expected to play at some point against the Orioles.

Viloria, who will wear No. 72, joined the Royals on Saturday, the first day that Major League Baseball teams were allowed to expand their rosters from 25 players to as many as 40. The Royals on Friday traded backup catcher Drew Butera to the Colorado Rockies and recalled Cam Gallagher from Class AAA Omaha.

The Royals are expected to add more players next week when Class AAA Omaha concludes its season.

Viloria, 21, will be the third catcher for the remainder of the season. But with Salvador Perez battling a sprained left thumb, he likely won’t catch for about a week, manager Ned Yost said Saturday.

Here are five things to know about Viloria, who was signed as non-drafted free agent by the Royals on July 2, 2013.

1. He lives in Cartagena, Colombia, where he told the Wilmington website, “it’s too hot.”

“Where I’m from in Cartagena it is really hot,” he said on the Blue Rocks’ site. “We have everything though. We have a lot of beaches and lakes and it’s fun. I miss the food the most, especially the fish. I miss my family, too.”

2. Viloria, 21, batted .260 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 44 RBIs in 100 games this season for the Blue Rocks. In his last 21 games, Viloria hit .314 with a .453 slugging percentage and 21 RBIs. He threw out 37 of 91 would-be base stealers (40.7 percent) at Wilmington.

3. In 2016, Viloria led all Royals minor-league players with a .376 batting average at Rookie-Advanced Idaho Falls. He was the Chukars’ Player of the Year that season and the Pioneer League’s MVP after leading the league in average doubles (28) and RBIs (55).

4. He was the Dominican Royals Player of the Year in 2014 after hitting .306 with eight doubles, a triple, two homers and 20 RBIs in 33 games.

5. As a kid, Viloria looked up to Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, the eight-time Gold Glove award winner.

“Growing up, I really admired Yadier Molina, but obviously I’ve watched a lot of Salvador Perez as well, and I’m excited to learn from him more defensively,” Viloria said through Kraft.

This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 4:43 PM.