The Royals have selected the contract of Nicky Lopez from AAA Omaha and have sent down pitcher Jake Newberry. The team has yet to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster.
The 24-year old Lopez is a middle infielder who was a fifth-round pick by the Royals in 2016 out of Creighton University. In 31 games for Omaha he was hitting .353/.457/.500 with three home runs and nine steals. He has a high-contact, low strikeout approach and is second among all minor league players with a strikeout rate of just three percent. Lopez has good speed and decent power and has drawn praise for being a “gamer” from Royals scouting director Lonnie Goldberg.