Royals Promote Cayden Wallace, Gavin Cross, Javier Vaz, and Tyson Guerrero to Northwest Arkansas

SPRINGDALE, Ark – The Kansas City Royals announced a number of roster moves today as highly-regarded prospects INF Cayden Wallace, OF Gavin Cross, INF/OF Javier Vaz, and LHP Tyson Guerrero have all been promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals from the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits.

Wallace, 22, graduated from Greenbrier High School (Ark.) where he was named the 2020 Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year and a 2019 Perfect Game All-American. In 2021, he attended the University of Arkansas where he tied the school freshman home run record with 14. In 2022, he helped lead the Razorbacks to the College World Series semifinals by hitting .298 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 67 games and was selected in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft by Kansas City. Prior to his promotion, Wallace was hitting .261 with 10 home runs, 22 doubles, and 64 RBI in 97 games with Quad Cities.

Cross, 22, was the 9th overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in the 1st round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Virginia Tech. In three years with the Hokies, he slashed .340/.412/.609 with 28 home runs and 28 stolen bases in 124 games. During his junior season in 2022, he hit .328 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI and was named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list. Prior to his promotion to the Naturals, Cross was hitting .206 with 12 home runs, 21 doubles, 58 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 94 games with Quad Cities.

Vaz, 22, was a 15th round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals out of Vanderbilt University. After excelling at LSU Eunice Junior College, he transferred to Vanderbilt and hit .280 in 51 games as a senior with a high on-base percentage and OPS after walking more (29) than he struck out (17). Prior to his promotion, Vaz was hitting .270 with 49 runs scored, 39 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.

Guerrero, 24, was selected in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals out of Washington State University. He was a two-way player for the Cougars as a freshman, where he went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 19 outings and hit .277. In 2021, he ranked 3rd amongst qualified Pac-12 pitchers and led his team with a 2.96 ERA as a redshirt sophomore. Prior to his promotion from Quad Cities, Guerrero was 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 18 games, 17 starts, and struck out 106 batters in 84.1 innings.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals will host the Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A Affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) in a six-game series at Arvest Ballpark, Tuesday, August 8th through Sunday, August 13th. Fans can purchase tickets to any of our remaining 24 home games online or at the Arvest Ballpark Box Office.