Kansas City Royals' Starting Right Field Job Now Up For Grabs

Jarrod Dyson suffered a severe oblique sprain in his first Cactus League game of 2016, leaving the Kansas City Royals without an Opening Day starter in right field. Paulo Orlando is now the presumed front-runner to fill in for Dyson, who won’t be game-ready for at least six weeks. Orlando was already on the fast track to earning a platoon role if Dyson failed to improve his career .536 OPS against lefties, but is Orlando really KC’s best option?

What about Brett Eibner? He brought his offensive game together at the Triple-A level last year when he posted an inspiring .303/.364/.514 slash line and an .878 OPS. More time spent dominating in Omaha could force KC to promote the 27-year-old this season, with or without injuries playing a part in their decision, so a hot spring from Eibner should present KC with a difficult decision to make.

The Royals recently signed veteran outfielder Travis Snider for depth, so perhaps he’ll now get a chance at the 40-man roster. Snider struggled offensively through only 87 games in 2015, but he posted a .776 OPS through 140 games in the prior season. However, 2014 was the first time since 2010 that Snider recorded an OPS above .750, so the club sees him more as a safety net than a viable choice as a starter.

If nobody makes an outstanding case to replace Dyson, would KC consider bringing back Alex Rios and his .785 OPS against left-handers? Owner David Glass already proved to Royals fans that his pockets are now deeper after the Royals proved to be a consistent winner. Glass spent big this offseason to improve both the front and back ends of the pitching staff, so is now the time to pay more for outfield and offensive depth? Probably not. As both an analyst and a Royals fan, I think KC is better off choosing from their already-available options.

Expect KC to take the conservative approach here, and for good reason. There’s plenty of talent in-house, and it makes the most sense to choose the hottest hand between Orlando, Snider and maybe Eibner, as opposed to spending more dough before the season begins. We also aren’t likely to see KC rushing Bubba Starling to the big leagues; the organization will stay understandably adamant about continuing his development in the farm system.

Perhaps it isn’t the hottest take you’ll read today, but nobody really knows who will replace Dyson right now. It will all come down to how the other outfielders perform this March. At least we now have a new spring training storyline to follow.