This highly regarded KC Royals prospect enjoyed his call-up, starting role in Chicago

The MLB trade deadline shook up rosters for teams like the Kansas City Royals, who lost two homegrown mainstays in Whit Merrifield and Cam Gallagher.

But it also opened doors for up-and-coming players like Royals prospect Michael Massey.

The Royals added Massey, a former fifth-round draft pick (2019) out of the University of Illinois who grew up in nearby Palos Park, Ill., to their 40-man roster and promoted him to the majors prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Massey jumped right into the starting lineup at second base.

The Royals moved pitcher Angel Zerpa (small tear in the patella tendon in his right knee) to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Massey. They also recalled catcher Sebastian Rivero to give the major-league club a third catcher after they traded Gallagher to the Padres on Tuesday.

“We were watching it in the clubhouse like everybody else,” Massey said of watching the deadline-day events unfold with his teammates at Triple-A Omaha. “Our game time was like 7:05 and, obviously, the deadline was at 5.

“The guys in Omaha were just watching it and heard the news that some guys got traded. We still didn’t know (if anyone would get called up). We went to prepare for the game. Our manager Scott Thorman came in the cage and told me to get on a flight and that I was going to be here (Wednesday).”

That also meant a trip to a very familiar ballpark for Massey, who grew up a White Sox fan and considers the club’s 2005 World Series championship run among his best sports memories. As a young player, Massey even wore his socks high because that’s part of the lasting image he has of his favorite player, Scott Podsednik.

“I grew probably a half hour from here,” Massey said. “I grew up coming to games. On the weekends, it was an easy 20-30 minute drive and get a $20 ticket. Then you’re watching a baseball game. I’ve come to hundreds of games here. Driving on the Dan Ryan (Expressway), and every time I’d drive by the stadium, I envisioned being able to do what I’m going to be able to do today.”

Massey, 24, said a large contingent of family, friends, former teammates and coaches were expected to attend the game. Despite the short notice and the fact that it was an afternoon start time, a contingent of 60-70 people were expected on hand.

Massey’s older brother, Andrew, was planning to sit with a college teammate of Massey’s who had tickets right behind the visiting dugout near the on-deck circle.

While the homecoming aspect of the game was likely to be prominent in Massey’s mind before and after the game, he got his feet wet in the big leagues last month when the Royals played in Toronto. So he was hoping to treat this time around more like just another game, if that’s possible.

“I’m trying to take it like I’ve got a job to do,” Massey said. “These guys expect me to go out there and help them win. So I’ll make sure I look up and take it all in. But at the end of the day, I’ve got a job to do: Go out there and play hard.”

In his brief taste of the big leagues during the series in Toronto, the left-handed hitting Massey went 3 for 8 with three singles and just one strikeout.

This season in the minors, Massey has slashed .312/.371/.532 with 16 homers, 28 doubles and 77 RBIs in 87 games (54 at Double-A, 33 at Triple-A).

“We all follow real close all our players through the system,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “But when a guy is having a standout year, and Michael has been having one, you always look forward to seeing him in person.

“I had the opportunity in Toronto, and he played great. Really good at-bats. Bounced him around a little bit (in the field), but I thought he did a real nice job. He’s a guy you’re excited to watch a little bit more of when he gets the opportunity.”

Family affair

Massey’s mother and father, Lisa and Keith, made the trip to Toronto last month for their son’s major-league debut. They certainly weren’t going to miss his first game in their own backyard.

“We were talking last night, this is probably the third or fourth debut,” Keith told The Star on his way to the ballpark Wednesday afternoon. “A year ago, he was at High-A. This year, he debuted at Double-A, then getting promoted to Triple-A, and we go and see his debut in Toronto.

“It seems like he’s making debut after debut. We’ve been doing a lot of traveling. It has been pretty hectic, but all worth it.”

Keith, who played second base at Illinois two decades before Massey followed in his footsteps, coached both of his sons when they were youth players and into their high school years on local travel-ball teams.

When Massey recorded his first two hits in the majors in Toronto, he took the bat from that game, wrote a message on it and presented it to Keith after the game.

“That was completely unexpected,” Keith said. “Literally, I couldn’t even talk when he brought it out. It was very emotional. I didn’t expect it, but that’s a typical Michael gesture, of thinking of other people when nobody else is thinking that way.”

Massey’s message was addressed “To my best hitting coach,” and it included a phrase Keith used when he was teaching Massey to hit as a child: Shoulder, raise it, load.

The bat actually traveled back to the U.S. with Massey, and he still has it. It will ultimately reside in Keith’s study at home, not far from where Michael played Wednesday.

Keith guessed the game in Chicago would probably be more stressful for Massey, being in front of so many people he knows so well. Only immediate family made the trip to Toronto.

None of them are likely to forget the first game in Chicago anytime soon

“I think it will be very memorable since he watched a lot of games here,” Keith said. “To be out there playing, I think will be very memorable for him and us.”