Edward Olivares delivered off the bench in a key spot for the Kansas City Royals
Edward Olivares had been a casualty of circumstances through the first 12 games of the Kansas City Royals’ season.
The 26-year-old outfielder had a strong year in 2021, primarily at Triple-A Omaha, and is coming off an impressive showing at spring training last month in Arizona.
Of course, he’d had just three at-bats this season when Royals manager Mike Matheny inserted him into Saturday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
Olivares nonetheless lined a double to left field that gave the Royals the lead for the first time since they’d scored in the top of the first.
“I’m always extremely happy,” Olivares said with assistant strength and conditioning coach/Latin American coordinator Luis Perez interpreting. “It’s about giving it 100% every day. I’m just happy to (try) help the team win.”
The Royals went into the inning trailing 6-4, but Salvador Perez got hit by a pitch to start the frame. Then Carlos Santana mashed a first-pitch fastball from Mariners reliever Yohan Ramirez into the right field stands for a game-tying two-run homer.
Hunter Dozier then ripped a double into the left field corner. Following a Bobby Witt Jr. strikeout, the Mariners turned to left-handed reliever Anthony Misiewicz with the left-handed hitting Ryan O’Hearn due up.
Matheny countered with the right-handed hitting Olivares, who’d gotten his most-recent plate appearance as a ninth-inning pinch hitter against the Detroit Tigers on April 14.
“Tough spot,” Matheny said. “(He’d had) very limited at-bats this season. To come into that big position and come through with a big double and give us [a lead]. We fight back like that and get the lead even, knowing how well our bullpen is throwing it. We feel really good about where we are. But it was a big at-bat by Ollie.”
Olivares smacked Misiewicz’s 1-2 curveball into left field for an RBI double as Dozier scored the go-ahead run.
“I was just trying to get a pitch middle-in, in the zone,” Olivares said. “I was just trying to make good contact.”
After arriving at second base safely, Olivares looked to the dugout, clapped his hands in celebration and shouted having just collected his first hit of the season.
“After having two strikes, just getting the barrel out there and making great contact felt good,” Olivares said.
With the Royals’ everyday outfield alignment including two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield in right field and Gold Glove winners Andrew Benintendi and Michael A. Taylor in left field and center field, respectively, Olivares hasn’t seen regular playing time.
The club’s designated hitter duties have been mostly divided between Dozier and Perez, when Perez is not catching.
Last season in Triple-A, Olivares slashed .313/.397/.559 with 30 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and 54 runs scored. From the start of the minor-league season through June 30, he ranked second among Triple-A players (with a minimum of 150 plate appearances) in batting average (.366), fourth in on-base percentage (.433) and third in OPS (1.030).
The Royals recalled him nine times last season. He appeared in 39 games in the majors and slashed .238/.291/.406 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
This spring in a shortened Cactus League slate of exhibition games, Olivares went 17 for 34 (.500) at the plate with three home runs, a triple, five doubles and 10 RBIs.
“I keep on practicing every day like it’s game-ready, getting my work in the cages, getting my work outside on the field,” Olivares said. “Just being ready.”
