2B Marc Maddox to return to Naturals
Maddox, a 25-year old from Hattiesburg, MS, played in 127 games with Northwest Arkansas last season and was a fixture in skipper Brian Poldberg's lineup. The Royals' ninth-round selection in the 2006 draft, he batted .283 with four homers and 30 RBI and posted a .363 on-base percentage in 2008. The second baseman also displayed solid defensive skills and swiped 15 bases as well.
Slated in spring training to compete for the starting second base job for the Royals' Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Royals, Maddox broke the pinkie finger on his throwing hand while fielding a routine ground ball in the final week of camp. He then suffered a setback in his rehab in mid-May that necessitated further sugery to remove a scar tissue build-up. He continued to rehab at the Royals' spring training complex in Surprise, appearing in four games with the rookie-league Surprise Royals and then appeared in 14 games with Class-A Burlington.
Maddox will be officially activated Saturday once he joins the team in Springfield and is determined to be in game condition. With his addition, the Naturals roster is at 23 players. The Texas League roster limit is 24.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.