Five Additional Players Optioned to Omaha

The Kansas City Royals on Sunday announced they have optioned five players to Omaha's roster. The list includes pitchers Miguel Almonte , Sam Gaviglio and Trevor Oaks , along with catcher Cam Gallagher and infielder Ramón Torres . Gaviglio later Sunday was Designated for Assignment after the Royals announced they had signed right-hander Justin Grimm to a Major League contract.

Almonte, 24, posted a 1.00 ERA (1 ER/9.0 IP) with eight strikeouts compared to one walk in five Cactus League appearances. He split 2017 between Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Omaha and Kansas City, which included an 0-1 mark and 1.50 ERA (3 ER/18.0 IP) over nine outings (three starts) with the Storm Chasers. In three seasons with Omaha, Almonte has tallied a 5-10 clip and 4.87 ERA (62/114.2 IP) with 113 punchouts. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent on November 20, 2010.
Gaviglio, 27, accrued a 10.29 ERA (8 ER/7.0 IP) with seven strikeouts in five Spring Training games with the Royals. Prior to be claimed off waivers by Kansas City on September 1, 2017, the right-hander split time between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma, and accumulated a 3-6 mark and 3.88 ERA (31 ER/72.0 IP) in 13 starts for the Rainiers. He made four appearances (two starts) with the Royals, tallying a 1-0 record and 3.00 ERA (4 ER/12.0 IP) in four outings (two starts) along with nine strikeouts. Gaviglio was originally selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
Oaks, 24, compiled an 0-1 clip and 6.00 ERA (6 ER/9.0 IP) with four punchouts over five Cactus League appearances, including one start. The righty spent the majority of 2017 with Triple-A Oklahoma City, recording a 4-3 mark and 3.64 ERA (34 ER/84.0 IP), adding 72 walks compared to 18 walks. He also earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors on June 4, 2017, as well as Texas League Mid-Season All-Star honors in 2016. Oaks was acquired by the Royals from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a three-team trade on January 4, 2018 that sent southpaw reliever Scott Alexander to the Dodgers and riight-hander Joakim Soria to the Chicago White Sox. He was selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Gallagher, 25, posted a .263 average (5-19), adding four runs, one double, one triple and one RBI over ten Royals Spring Training contests. He returns to Omaha's roster after recording a .292 clip (76-260) in 73 games with the Storm Chasers in 2017, along with 26 runs, 13 doubles, five homers and 37 RBI. The backstop also made his Major League debut with the Royals on August 6, 2017, later that month crushing a grand slam for his first career Major League longball on August 14 at Oakland. Gallagher was selected by the Royals i the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft.

Torres, 25, accumulated a .323 mark (10-31) along with three runs, two doubles and two RBI in 15 Cactus League tilts in 2018. Like Gallagher, he spent most of 2017 in Omaha, while making his Major League debut last season as well. Torres tallied a .292 average (86-295) with 43 runs, ten doubles, one triple, six homers and 41 RBI in 75 games with the Storm Chasers. He debuted with Kansas City on June 7 last year, ultimately recording a .243 mark (18-74) along with nine runs, three doubles and four RBI. He was signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent on May 28, 2010.
Following these moves, in addition to the signing of Justin Grimm, the Royals now have 47 players in Major League camp. Sunday was the second round of roster moves by Kansas City after optioning six players to Omaha's roster last Monday evening.