Royals Minor League Report (5/28): Ramirez Romp Headlines Royals Farm on Thursday

Ramon Ramirez drove in three runs and scored three more in Quad Cities' 12-1 rout, while Emmanuel Reyes spun five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. In Columbia's nightcap win, Jhosmmel Zue homered and drove in four. Henry Williams allowed three earned runs over five innings for Omaha in a 5-4 extra-innings loss, and Drew Beam gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings as Northwest Arkansas fell 6-1.

Royals Transactions

• Kansas City Royals signed free agent RHP Yolber Mendez to a minor league contract.
• Kansas City Royals signed free agent RHP Andruw Solarte to a minor league contract.
• Kansas City Royals designated LHP Bailey Falter for assignment.
• Kansas City Royals recalled RHP Mason Black from Omaha Storm Chasers.

Tresh Homer Not Enough As Storm Chasers Fall In Extras

The Omaha Storm Chasers dropped a 5-4 decision to the Memphis Redbirds in ten innings.

Luca Tresh led the offense, going 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs batted in. Abraham Toro added a double and a run batted in, while Kameron Misner drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

Omaha managed just six hits and left ten runners on base.

Memphis broke a scoreless tie in the third when Misner's sacrifice fly scored Connor Kaiser. The visitors answered with two home runs in the fourth, and Toro's double scored Gavin Cross to make it 2-2. Memphis pushed across two more in the fifth, but Tresh tied the game at four with a two-run homer that also scored Misner.

The game stayed tied until the tenth, when the zombie runner came around to score on a sacrifice fly, handing Memphis the lead for good.

Williams carried the bulk of the work, allowing five hits and four runs, three earned, over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts. Oscar Rayo followed with three scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two. Rayo was just called up to Triple-A today to replace Black in the Omaha bullpen (The Royals recalled Black from the Storm Chasers on Wednesday). 

Anthony Gose took the loss after allowing an unearned run in the tenth. A former MLB reliever who was once a top position-player prospect, Gose, signed during the season, is sporting a 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 14 IP. 

Vazquez Drives In Lone Run As Naturals Drop Road Tilt

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals managed only three hits in a 6-1 loss to the Tulsa Drillers.

Daniel Vazquez accounted for the lone run, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run batted in. Colton Becker had the only other notable day at the plate, singling and scoring the team's only run.

The Naturals struck out ten times and stranded five runners.

Tulsa opened the scoring in the third with a pair of runs and added two more in the fourth to build a 4-0 lead. Northwest Arkansas got on the board in the sixth when Vazquez singled home Becker, but that was as close as the visitors would come. Tulsa tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth to restore the cushion.

Beam struggled with command, allowing seven hits and four earned runs over 3 2/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts before exiting with the loss. Caden Monke provided a lift out of the bullpen, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, while Dennis Colleran Jr. surrendered two runs in the final inning.

Ramirez And Reyes Power River Bandits To Lopsided Win

The Quad Cities River Bandits cruised to a 12-1 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Ramirez led the way, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, three runs batted in, and three runs scored. Asbel Gonzalez collected two hits and scored twice out of the leadoff spot, Nolan Sailors added two hits and two runs batted in, and Blake Mitchell reached base four times while scoring three runs. Quad Cities drew thirteen walks and stranded eleven runners.

The River Bandits seized control immediately, scoring four times in the first inning entirely on bases-loaded walks and a wild pitch. They piled on two more in the second, capped by Ramirez's run-scoring double and a Sailors single. Ramirez struck again in the fourth with another run-scoring double, and the lead only grew from there.

Reyes was sharp in his five innings of work, allowing three hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts to earn the win. The 22-year-old righty now has a 2.91 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in nine starts and 43.1 IP this season. 

Cory Ronan opened with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts, and Mason Miller closed with two scoreless frames.

Van Dam Shines, But Fireflies Shut Out In Opener

The Columbia Fireflies were blanked 3-0 by the Charleston RiverDogs in the first game of a doubleheader.

Columbia mustered just four hits, with Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond, Yandel Ricardo, and JC Vanek each collecting a single. Ricardo's hit went for a double. The Fireflies left four runners on base and never advanced a runner across the plate.

The game remained scoreless into the sixth, when Charleston pushed across all three of its runs. A run-scoring triple opened the scoring before a two-run home run made it 3-0. That proved to be enough offense for the RiverDogs.

Shane Van Dam was excellent in defeat, working four scoreless innings on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. The former NC State product and ninth-round draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft now has a 4.70 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in nine outings (five starts) and 30.2 IP. 

Henson Leal took the loss after allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings, and Dash Albus closed the door with 1 2/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts.

Zue's Four RBI Lift Fireflies In Nightcap Slugfest

The Columbia Fireflies salvaged a split with a 9-6 win over the Charleston RiverDogs in the second game.

Zue paced the attack, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four runs batted in. Ricardo, batting leadoff, homered and drove in two, Hammond added two hits and a run batted in, and Sean Gamble scored twice. Columbia pounded out eight hits.

The Fireflies jumped on Charleston early. Zue's three-run home run capped a three-run first inning.

The Fireflies blew the game open with five runs in the second. In that frame, Ricardo launched a two-run homer, Hammond singled home a run, and Zue delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 8-0. Zue is hitting .289 with a .681 OPS this season, while Ricardo is hitting .250 with a .752 OPS, a sign that he has overcome his slow start.

Hammond continues to be one of Columbia's most consistent offensive producers. The 28th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft is hitting .288 with an .832 OPS this season.

Charleston chipped away with two runs in the third and single runs in the fourth, sixth, and seventh, but the early cushion held up.

Dutch-born pitcher Brandon Herbold opened with a scoreless inning and earned the win. Jose Gutierrez absorbed the bulk of the innings, allowing eight hits and three runs over four innings with three strikeouts, and Yeri Perez allowed an unearned run in the seventh.

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Kendry Chourio: DNP
2. David Shields: DNP
3. Sean Gamble: G1 1-for-3, K, SB; G2 0-for-2, 2 BB
4. Blake Mitchell: 1-for-2, 3 BB, SB
5. Josh Hammond: G1 1-for-3; G2 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, K
6. Ramon Ramirez: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, K, SB
7. Drew Beam: 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
8. Asbel Gonzalez: 2-for-6, K, SB
9. Ben Kudrna: DNP
10. Carson Roccaforte: 0-for-3, 3 K
11. Yandel Ricardo: G1 1-for-3, 2B, K; G2 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
12. Felix Arronde: DNP
13. Blake Wolters: DNP
14. Michael Lombardi: DNP
15. Luinder Avila: DNP
16. Steven Zobac: DNP
17. Frank Mozzicato: DNP
18. Daniel Vazquez: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
19. Warren Colcano: DNP
20. Shane Panzini: DNP

Interested in learning more about the Kansas City Royals' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!