The Royals are set to select the contract of catcher of , reports . The Royals have a full 40-man roster, so a corresponding move will be nece sary to clear space for Porter. The news is a triumph for Porter, 28, who joined the Royals organization as an undrafted free agent back in 2018. Porter broke out at the Double-A level last year, slashing .301/.437/.487 while acting as the Marty Mcsorley Jersey teams starting catcher. That garnered him a promotion to Triple-A late in the year, though his numbers since being promoted late last year have been closer to solid than excellent; in 144 career games at Triple-A, Porter has slashed .250/.370/.398. That includes a downturn in production this year at the plate thats seen him hit just .235/.342/.381 in 109 plate appearances with a career-high 25.2% strikeout rate, though hes still walking at an impre sive 13.5% clip. With youngster not having played behind the plate since April and on the injured list due to a fractured finger, the Royals have an opening at catcher on their roster as they look for someone to share time with veteran backstop behind the plate. While Perez plays most days, hes split time at first base in recent months, opening up additional starts behind the plate for his backup. The Royals Double-A catcher to the big league roster yesterday, though he has yet to make it into a game. Its not yet clear whether the Royals will employ three catchers with each of Cropley and Porter spelling Perez behind the plate, or if Porters impending selection could spell the end of Cropleys time with the big league club. In addition to Porters experience at the Triple-A level, where Cropley has not yet appeared in his career, Cropleys offensive performance this season has been far below Porters, as the 27-year-old has slashed just .235/.329/.359 in 43 games at Double-A this season. Mark Recchi Jersey