<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Per Statcast, Royals&#39; average exit velocity with RISP is 83.4 mph. Second worst in baseball. That is a lot of soft contact.</p>&mdash; Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlannyMLB/status/854725738091753475">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Raul Mondesi has been brutal. No argument, but he's a 9 hole hitter who we expected to be overmatched.

Eric Hosmer is a far bigger problem right now, IMO. He has to start coming through with runners on base, and has to quit rolling over on everything. He's killing us in the cleanup spot.

Someone needs to just tell Hoz: "hey now, you're an All Star. Get your game on go play"

Hosmer and Gordon are bigger problems because they are veteran stars who aren't producing, and there's almost nothing you can do about it. Realistically, you're not going to bench them for any period of time. You just have to hope they snap out of it, and big time.

However, Mondesi is a problem you CAN do something about, starting with not letting him hit with the game on the line in a season in which you are supposedly trying to win as many games as possible in the last hurrah for a veteran group, the core of which could be traded if they don't win enough games by the trade deadline.

Just because Mondesi isn't THE problem doesn't mean he's not A problem, and one that CAN be addressed fairly easily, since half our roster consists of second basemen.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Whit Merrifield is starting at second base tonight.</p>&mdash; Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustindodd/status/854778454277070853">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The good news: Mondesi out.

The bad news: Orlando in. He's actually been worse than Mondesi.

Difference is Orlando has a track record of some positivity with the bat. Hopefully he's due.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Royals Tonight: Gordon 7, Moustakas 5, Cain 8, Hosmer 3, Perez 2, Merrifield 4, Escobar 6, Cuthbert DH, Orlando 9 (LHP Vargas)</p>&mdash; Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustindodd/status/854779264729853956">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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It's Madison Bumgarner at the K. I know I'm scarred, but what's the point?

The good news though is that if Merrifield performs then it sets up that he could stay at second and Soler could replace Orlando in the field when he is ready instead of automatically having Merrifield get sent back to the minors.

I think that's the likely scenario. I bet that over the next 10 days or so, while Soler rehabs, Mondesi becomes Jarrod Dyson: pinch-runner and start a couple of games a week.

I really like the versatility that Whit brings to the team.

Why cant they drop Colon over Merrifield?

They could, but they would really "drop" him -- he's got no options left, so he'd have to be DFA'd. I bet some team would pick him up as a backup IF.

Although, Josh Vernier on the 610 postgame last night was pretty confident that the clock is ticking on Colon; he all but said he's done in KC, and it's just a short matter of time.

BTW, seen Matt Strahm's line at Omaha so far?

5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

He's eligible to be recalled Friday.

Not to sound too mean, but if we DFA him, it's really no loss. Must be a money thing?

As I mentioned, I am far from concerned about Strahm.

His stuff is fantastic. He just needs to control his nerves and I think he will be totally fine.