Royals' Michael Massey: Receives first big-league call-up

The Royals selected Massey's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Massey will be one of the initial eight minor leaguers that joins the Royals on Thursday after 10 players on the 26-man active roster weren't eligible to make the trip to Toronto for the four-game series with the Blue Jays due to their vaccination statuses. A 2019 fourth-round pick, Massey arrives in the big leagues for the first time after producing an excellent .317/.373/.535 slash line between stops at Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 24-year-old's only defensive experience in the minors comes at second base and third base, so he'll likely serve as the primary backup at those positions to Nicky Lopez and Emmanuel Rivera, respectively, during his stay in the majors.