The Royals have claimed 26-year old righty reliever/starter Robinson Tejada off waivers from the Rangers. Tejada has pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Rangers this season and he was 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. Tejada has now pitched in 63 games (46 starts) in his major league career and he is 14-17 with a 5.01 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Tejada has a very good arm and that’s the reason the Royals are willing to roll the dice with him.

The Kansas City Royals have designated Brett Tomko for assignment. Tomko pitched in 16 games (10 starts) for the Royals this season and he was 2-7 with a 6.97 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He allowed 80 hits, 11 of which were homers in only 60.2 innings pitched. The Royals aren’t going to miss him one bit as Kyle Davies has taken over his rotation spot.

So much for giving Angel Berroa a chance to fix the huge problem at shortstop for the Royals. The Royals have sent Berroa and cash to the Dodgers for 21-year old switch hitting shortstop Juan Rivera. Berroa was playing well in AAA this season as he played in 51 games down there and he was 55 for 189 (.291 avg, .842 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 10 homers, 27 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He will likely get some extended playing time for the Dodgers while Rafael Furcal is out. Juan Rivera is a long way from the major leagues. He has played in 10 games in Low A-Ball this season and he is 7 for 29 (.241 avg, .612 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. This was just a move to ditch Berroa.

The Royals have demoted 1B/DH Billy Butler to AAA ball and they have recalled SS Mike Aviles. Butler played in 53 games for the Royals this season and he was 49 for 186 (.263 avg, .669 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 18 RBIs. Ross Gload will likely benefit the most from Butler’s demotion. He has played in 42 games this season for the Royals and he is 27 for 111 (.243 avg, .567 OPS) with 11 runs scored and 9 RBIs. 27-year old righty swinging shortstop Mike Aviles has been recalled to replace Butler on the roster. Aviles has played in 50 games in AAA ball this season and he is 72 for 213 (.338 avg, 1.003 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 10 homers and 42 RBIs. Aviles might push Tony Pena at shortstop for playing time.

The Kansas City Royals are having problems scoring runs which means that they can’t afford to have a no-hit, all field shortstop as their starter. Tony Pena is off to a terrible start to the 2008 season and the Royals need to only only bench him but also send him to the minors to rebuild his confidence. Pena has played in 45 games this season for the Royals and he is 23 for 142 (.162 avg, .388 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The problem for the Royals is that Alberto Callaspo doesn’t appear ready to replace him. Callaspo has played in 27 games this season for the Royals and he is 17 for 64 (.266 avg, .660 OPS)with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for the Royals to recall 30-year old righty swinging Angel Berroa from the minors and give him another chance. Berroa has played in 44 games in AAA ball this season and he is 50 for 166 (.301 avg, .834 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 8 homers, 21 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has played in 627 games in his major league career and he is 606 for 2,300 (.263 avg, .689 OPS) with 293 runs scored, 45 homers, 245 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. The Royals just can’t go on getting absolutely nothing from the shortstop position offensively so they need to make this change for the betterment of the team.