Kansas City Royals place Carlos Santana on injured list and bring back Emmanuel Rivera
The Kansas City Royals placed starting first baseman Carlos Santana on the 10-day injured list prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium.
Santana, who was scratched from the starting lineup prior to Tuesday night’s game, went on the IL retroactive to May 3 because of right ankle bursitis. The club recalled third baseman Emmanuel Rivera from Triple-A Omaha to take Santana’s spot on the roster.
Ryan O’Hearn started at first base in Tuesday night’s win over the Cardinals and he was in the starting lineup again on Wednesday. The left-handed hitting O’Hearn had just nine at-bats entering Wednesday.
Hunter Dozier, a right-handed hitter who can play the corner outfield and infield positions, provides another option at first base for the Royals.
Santana, in the final season of a two-year contract, has struggled offensively this season. He batted .159 with a .312 on-base percentage and a .254 slugging percentage through 19 games.
However, Santana had performed better at the plate recently. He’d hit safely in each of his past four games, and he registered a three-walk game last Thursday. In his past nine games, Santana slashed .258/.410/.419 with one home run and five RBIs.
Rivera, who made his major-league debut last season, has appeared in three games. He was recalled to the majors during the most recent road trip when the Royals optioned Brady Singer to the minors on April 28. That was a short stint for Rivera, who was optioned back to the minors when rosters were reduced from 28 players to 26 on May 2.
