The Kansas City Royals selected the contract of Josh Rojas from Triple-A Omaha on June 4, 2026 at 3:06 p.m. CDT, moving Jonathan India to the 60-day injured list and placing Stephen Kolek on the family medical emergency list to open roster spots.
Rojas, 31, arrives with seven big-league seasons on his resume and more than five years of major-league service time. He hit.246/.309/.433 in 189 plate appearances for Omaha this year, with six home runs — five of them in his previous 20 games — and was signed by Kansas City to a minor-league deal over the winter. His career line stands at.241/.317/.353 after stops with the Diamondbacks, Mariners and White Sox.
The move answers a pressing need. Kansas City’s second basemen have combined for a.201/.271/.363 slash line this season, and Michael Massey had taken the bulk of the reps at the position. With India sidelined after an April shoulder surgery that ended his season, the Royals will ask Rojas, Massey and Nick Loftin to split second-base duties while Maikel Garcia remains largely set at third.
The promotion carries an obvious friction point: Rojas is coming up despite modest Triple-A numbers and a difficult two-year stretch in the majors. From 2024–25 he hit.211/.288/.313 in nearly 700 plate appearances, a period that raised doubts about his ability to handle everyday big-league pitching. The recent power burst in Omaha — five homers in 20 games — is the clearest justification the Royals have to give him a look now.
Practically, Rojas’s value is his versatility. He’s listed as a second and third baseman and can be used as a right-handed infield option behind Garcia at third or as part of a rotation at second. The roster moves that accompanied his selection — India to the 60-day IL and Kolek to the family medical emergency list — free both a 40-man spot and an active-roster slot, allowing Kansas City to carry another position player while managing its bullpen and bench size.
What matters next is straightforward and immediate: how much regular work the Royals are willing to hand him. Rojas has the service time to become a free agent at season’s end if he reaches six full years of service, which adds a secondary layer to the decision. If Kansas City gives him only spot starts and late-inning duty, the club won’t learn whether the recent power surge signals a return to form; if they hand him extended runs at second, Rojas’s performance will determine whether his promotion is a short-term patch or an opening chapter of a renewed role in the infield.
