When the Royals acquired 25-year old righty reliever Ramon Ramirez no one really thought it was that big of a deal. But, Ramirez has been outstanding this season for the Royals working as Joakim Soria’s set-up man. Ramirez has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) this season for the Royals and he is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Ramirez has only allowed 45 hits in 57 innings while whiffing 60 batters. Ramirez could probably even step in for Soria if he were injured or needed a day off and do a good job. Getting Ramirez from the Rockies was a steal for the Royals.

The Royals have traded Horacio Ramirez to the White Sox for 22-year old righty swinging outfielder Paulo Orlando. Ramirez was signed as a free agent during the season and he was pitching pretty well for the Royals this season. Ramirez worked in 15 games (0 starts) for the Royals this year and he was 1-1 with a 2.59 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. It was good value to get Orlando for Ramirez. Orlando has played in 111 games in A-ball this season and he is 118 for 447 (.264 avg, .722 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 12 triples, 9 homers, 42 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. This is a trade that can help out both teams as it will likely help the White Sox know and the Royals down the road.

The Royals have lost lefty starting pitcher John Bale and starting 2B Mark Grudzielanek for probably the remainder of the 2008 season. Bale suffered a setback in his rehab from a sore left shoulder and he could be shut down for the season. Bale has started 3 games for the Royals this season and he is 0-3 with a 7.63 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. Mark Grudzielanek has a torn deltoid ligament in his right ankle which could cause him to miss the rest of the season. This will hurt the defense of the Royals’ big time as Grudzielanek was pretty slick with the leather this season. Esteban German will likely get his big chance to show what he can do with a couple months worth of atbats. German has played in 59 games this season for the Royals and he is 30 for 131 (.229 avg, .595 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 15 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. It will be interesting to see what German does with all of these atbats as he has always been a decent hitter off of the bench.

The Royals needed roster space to promote infielder Jason Smith so they decided to designate reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta for assignment. Yabuta was signed as a free agent over the winter coming over from Japan and he was truly awful for the Royals. Yabuta pitched in 26 games (0 starts) for the Royals this year and he was 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. The Royals have recalled 31-year old lefty swinging infielder Jason Smith to replace Mark Grudzielanek on the the active roster. Smith has played in 110 games in AAA ball this season and he is 107 for 423 (.253 avg, .764 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 20 homers and 62 RBIs. Smith has a little bit of power but he likely won’t get to play too much before he gets sent back to the minors. Smith has played in 235 games in his major league career and he is 116 for 523 (.222 avg, .643 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.

The Royals have placed starting 2B Mark Grudzielanek on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle. Grudzielanek has played in 86 games for the Royals this season and he is 99 for 331 (.299 avg, .744 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 3 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Losing Grudzielanek will likely effect three players on the Royals. Mike Aviles might play some 2B when Tony Pena starts at shortstop. This will be the better of the two alignments the Royals can have defensively. The other option is to play Esteban German at 2B and leave Aviles at shortstop and that’s the way the Royals will go more often as they have a hard time carrying someone with a bat like Pena’s. Pena has played in 71 games for the Royals this season and he is 28 for 187 (.150 avg, .369 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. His poor bat cost him the starting shortstop job earlier this season. Mike Aviles has been a godsend at shortstop for the Royals this season. He has played in 50 games for the Royals this year and he is 64 for 200 (.320 avg, .868 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 6 homers, 28 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Esteban German is a poor defender at 2B but he’s a decent hitter with speed. German has played in 54 games this season for the Royals and he is 26 for 110 (.236 avg, .601 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 12 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Royals will miss Grudzielanek’s defense and leadership while he is out.