Notes: Olivares shines early; intrasquad action

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Piece by piece, Edward Olivares is settling into his new organization with the Royals -- and proving why he’s deserving of a spot on the roster.

The young outfielder doubled in the winning runs of the Royals’ 6-5 win over the White Sox on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium, following his home run that brought Kansas City within one run against the Cubs on Tuesday.

“Over the offseason, I trained hard, and a lot of work with the machine and with my swing, getting it in tune,” Olivares said through interpreter Luis Perez. “And that’s paying off right now. I’m just going to give it my best, work hard and whenever the manager needs me, I’ll play.”

Olivares came to Kansas City at the Trade Deadline last year in the Trevor Rosenthal trade and hit .274 with one double, one triple and two home runs in 65 plate appearances in the second half of 2020. This year, he entered Spring Training with a better comfort level as a Royal and is vying for a spot on their Opening Day roster. It’s unclear where the Royals see the 24-year-old after agreeing to a deal with veteran outfielder Jarrod Dyson, according to a source -- which is still pending a physical and has not been announced yet -- on Tuesday.

But Olivares is showing he can be a viable option at the plate and in the field.

So far in camp, the Royals have seen Olivares take a better approach to fly balls in the outfield and to pitches at the plate, focusing on using his speed to make the most efficient route and quieting his swing with better hand positioning.

“I’ve seen an improved player,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “We got him last year and he took some good at-bats. This guy worked really hard this offseason to improve on some of his routes, his intensity, his purpose, his route efficiency. … We’re watching a lot of things come together, and he just seems to be getting better. He goes about it the right way. It’s good to see him to have some success like he [has had].”

Triple-A season delayed
With the Triple-A season pushed back to early May, around the same time as the Double-A and Class A seasons are scheduled to begin, Matheny said the Royals' plans with their young pitchers won’t change too much. Those not expected to break camp with the club or go to the alternate training site to open the Major League season, like pitching prospect Asa Lacy, are already being eased into their workloads to start the spring and will continue to do so throughout camp.

But those who have been building up will continue, knowing they have a chance to either make the Opening Day roster or provide depth at the alternate training site.

“We’re going to get as many looks at the guys that we have, because we’ll need some innings from the arms that we have,” Matheny said. “So all things considered it doesn’t change our plans that much right now. If we ever got to the point with some of the young pitchers that we know are a ways from competing, and they start to look like they’re getting a lot of work, we’d obviously slow things down. But really whether it’s a secondary site or the Triple-A season did start, they’re going to keep pitching. Let’s just build on what they’ve done this winter.”

Familiar faces in Surprise
Matheny caught up with White Sox manager Tony La Russa before Wednesday’s game, the first of many times the two former Cardinals managers will face each other in the American League Central this season. Matheny played under La Russa in St. Louis from 2000-04 and then took over as the Cardinals skipper in 2012 after La Russa retired.

“Good to see him ahead of time,” Matheny said. “Lot of respect for the things that I was able to learn from him from watching, but also being a resource for me when I jumped into the managing gig. Hall of Famer. Lot of respect for how he’s gone about it.

“We’re going to see each other a lot, and they’ve got a good team. We’re planning on playing much better against them this year than what we showed them last year.”

Intrasquad action
Brady Singer and Brad Brach were the starters in Wednesday’s intrasquad work at Surprise Stadium after the Royals' game against the White Sox ended. Singer, who hasn’t yet pitched in an exhibition game, struggled with his command and allowed a home run to catcher Nick Dini in two innings of work.

Brach, a veteran reliever who signed a Minor League deal with the Royals early in Spring Training, showed his funky delivery and flashed a solid changeup against some of the club's top hitting prospects, giving the Royals a look at what he could bring to their bullpen this year.

“That changeup was falling out of the sky, so it’s not going to be a walk in the park for lefties,” Matheny said. “[General manager] Dayton [Moore] and I talk about this all the time -- having that guy that just has a different look. That’s a different look, where he comes across his body, and then how he hides the ball and the angle he comes from. We’re excited about what he could do and how he can help us.”