Nick Pratto looking forward to next chapter of his story with the Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals prospect Nick Pratto was supposed to play in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game this weekend as part of the MLB All-Star festivities in Los Angeles. Instead, the former first-round draft pick got very different marching orders when his Triple-A manager Scott Thorman called him into the office after Sunday’s game.

“He was asking me if I was going to be upset for missing the Futures Game,” Pratto said. “I was like, ‘Not at all if this is the case. He informed me that I would be on the trip and active on Thursday. That was a really special moment because I’ve had a lot of time with Thor.”

Pratto, 23, was one of eight minor-league players who joined the Royals for their trip to Toronto for a four-game series against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

The first baseman was also one of five players placed on the active major-league roster for the first time in their careers. Thorman also made the trip to assist the major-league coaching staff.

“It was just tears from my mom, and my dad was excited,” Pratto said of relaying the news to friends and family. “After that it was my girlfriend, family, everybody. It was just really hard to kind of find the order of who and what to talk about. I think everybody was just excited and happy for me. It was kind of a whirlwind of phone calls.”

Infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton, catcher Freddy Fermin, infielder Maikel Garcia and infielder Michael Massey were also called up for the first time. Fermin and Garcia had traveled with the team as part of the taxi squad in the past, but they hadn’t been on the active roster.

Outfielder Brewer Hicklen, pitcher Angel Zerpa and catcher Sebastian Rivero were also added to the active roster. Hicklen made his major-league debut earlier this season, while Zerpa and Rivero debuted last year.

While the amount of roster turnover in a one-day period is certainly jarring, Royals manager Mike Matheny kept coming back to the themes of opportunity and excitement for players like Pratto and the group of newcomers getting to play in the big leagues.

“We’re just excited about giving these guys a chance, that’s really where everybody’s head is right now,” Matheny said. “Not necessarily on anything except knowing the excitement we already sensed on the plane and in the workouts, and these guys are ready to go play and compete.”

The five-player taxi squad the Royals brought with them also includes two position players in Tyler Cropley and Clay Dungan who have not been in the majors before.

Royals rookie and rising star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who finished last season at Triple-A Omaha,

“It’s great to see those guys, we’re back kind of like we were last year,” Witt said. “The same guys. It’s really fun.”

The big roster shift came as a result of the Royals having to place 10 players on the restricted list due to travel restrictions that prevent individuals from entering Canada without proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

“It’s definitely different,” Witt said of the drastic roster changes. “This game, baseball, is always changing. You’ve got to be ready to expect a change. That’s part of it. You just make adjustments. That’s what baseball is, a game of adjustments.”

The group of Royals placed on the restricted list included recent All-Star selection Andrew Benintendi, two-time former All-Star Whit Merrifield and Gold Glove center fielder Michael A. Taylor as well as several other experienced players such as infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier and backup catcher Cam Gallagher.

“No matter what’s going on at any point in time, we always have a job to do,” Pratto said. “You may feel it’s important to be vaccinated. Some people may feel that its important for their body to be healthy and whatever they believe. Whatever their thought process is is up to them. At the same time, we still show up to the park with a job to do with the guys that we have. The main goal is winning games.”

A left-handed hitting, slick-fielding first baseman from Huntington Beach, California, Pratto was the 14th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.

He earned South Atlantic League All-Star (Low-A) honors in 2018, having posted impressive numbers in his first full season in the minors with a slash line of .280/.343/.443 with 14 home runs and 33 doubles in 127 games.

Pratto’s production dipped significantly in 2019 at High-A. He slashed .191/.278/.310 with nine home runs and 21 doubles in 124 games.

He had to take that sour note into 2020 when there was no minor-league season. But he enjoyed a tremendous bounce-back season last year.

He earned Double-A All-Star honors in 2021. He slashed .271/.404/.570 with 13 doubles, four triples, 15 homers and 43 RBI with Northwest Arkansas before being promoted to Omaha on July 20. At the time of his promotion, he led all Double-A players in OPS (.974).

In 124 games in the minors last season overall, Pratto ranked second in extra-base hits (71), third in RBI (98), tied for third in runs scored (98) and fifth in walks (83) and total bases (268).

Asked if it seemed like a long path or a short path to the majors , Pratto replied “both.”

“These last few days of down time since Sunday, my last game, have kind of been a good reflection, good perspective, to look back and kind of remember everything,” Pratto said. “I’m thankful for all of it. It’s my story. Now, we kind of start the next chapter.”