This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”
Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (25-25, 5.5 games back)
The Storm Chasers took 4 of 6 from the St. Paul Saints on the road. Cole Ragans made a rehab start, he threw 4.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, walking 1 and striking out 3. However, Ragans experienced the same feeling in his elbow as he did previously. He is going to be shut down before
being reevaluated. Other notable pitching performances include Beck Way throwing 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out 5. Eric Cerantola struck out 6 in 3 innings worth of work.
At the plate, Brett Squires continued to mash. He was 7-22 at the plate, with a pair of doubles and homers. Josh Rojas was 7-21 with a pair of doubles and homers as well. Squires is a 26-year-old, who plays the corner outfield spots and first base. He has steadily worked his way through the Royals system, with a career .271 batting average, .364 OBP and .455 slugging. He has also stolen 76 bases. For him to get the call to KC, it would require a 40-man roster move and him to find a spot to play, as there is a logjam at first and the corner outfield spots.
Omaha is home this week for the Memphis Redbirds, the series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (22-22, 5.5 games back)
The Naturals split their 6-game series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles. At the plate, Spencer Nivens was 7-22 with three homers and a double. Carson Roccaforte was 9-26 with two more homers and a triple. Roccaforte is primed for a promotion really soon.
On the mound, Justin Lamkin’s second start in Double-A was a beauty. 6 innings of 1 hit ball, a solo homer, striking out 8. Lamkin is a fast riser to keep an eye on in the Royals system. Drew Beam also had a quality start, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 3.
The Naturals remain on the road, playing the Tulsa Drillers, the Naturals are down 14-7 right now in the top of the 8th as I write this. They gave up a pair of seven run innings to start the game. They don’t play Tuesday, but the rest of the series runs Wednesday through Sunday.
Quad Cities River Bandits (19-23, 6.5 games back)
The River Bandits lost 4 of 6 to the Beloit Sky Carp last week. David Shields threw a quality start, throwing one hit ball over 6 scoreless innings, while walking 1 and striking out 5. It was a good rebound for Shields, who got knocked around in his previous start. Blake Wolters, who recently got promoted from Columbia, had two rough starts. In total, he went 7.1 innings, allowing 11 hits, 13 runs (12 earned), walking 5 and striking out 5. It’ll be interesting to see how the 21-year-old bounces back this week. L.P. Langevin, a 22-year-old out of Quebec, had a good week, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out 4. The right-handed reliever was a 4th round pick in 2024 for the Royals from Louisiana-Lafayette. Langevin’s season ERA is 2.89 over 18.2 innings, with 34 strikeouts.
At the plate, Ramon Ramirez had a good week, hitting .455 over the series, smacking 3 doubles and a homer, while driving in 10 runs. Ramirez is batting .313 on the season, with a .374 OBP and .905 OPS and 40 runs batted in. The catcher is only 20 years old. Luke Pelzer, a 23-year-old outfielder has been having a nice season. The 2025, 17th round draft pick out of Illinois-Chicago is hitting .305 on the season with 25 RBI’s and 15 stolen bases. This last week, Pelzer was 4-18 with a homer, 5 RBI’s and 3 stolen bases.
The River Bandits travel to Cedar Rapids this week. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Columbia Fireflies (20-25, 6 games back)
The Fireflies lost 4 of 6 to the Augusta GreenJackets last week. Catcher Brooks Bryan had a solid week, going 5-12 with 2 runs batted in. He was 3-4 with runners in scoring position. Sean Gamble was 6-22 on the week with a pair of doubles. It was one of the best weeks at the plate this year for Gamble. Josh Hammond was 7-22 on the week with a triple and three runs batted in.
On the mound, Michael Lombardi made 2 starts, totaling 9 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. Kendry Chourio threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 batters. Jordan Woods threw 5 innings of one run ball, striking out 8 batters.
Columbia is home this week for the Charleston RiverDogs, the series runs Tuesday through Sunday.
Also, congrats to these three Royals pitching prospects for earning a promotion! They will be our spotlights next week!
