The Kansas City Royals are being forced to make a move they probably should have made weeks ago.
With second baseman Chris Getz suffering a broken thumb Friday, effectively ending his 2012 season, the club will turn to Johnny Giavotella.
Getz, long a favorite of manager Ned Yost, was having a decent enough season, but he is what he is at this point -- a good defender with a limited bat (.275 average with 17 RBI), who should be a backup or utility infielder. Giavotella, on the other hand, is a 24-year-old with offensive upside that could make him a part of the Royals' future.
After making his debut a year ago, Giavotella seemed to have a leg up on the starting job heading into spring training, but the Royals chose to go with a combination of Getz andYuniesky Betancourt. Giavotella received a trial while Getz was on the DL earlier in the year, but he didn't do much. There's also the issue of his spotty defense.
Still, Giavotella has nothing left to prove in the minors -- he owns a slash line of .308/ .380/.443 across five seasons and was sporting a career-best .877 OPS this year -- so it's time to see if he can be an everyday player in the majors.
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