Notes

-- Chris Clapinski has taken his ball and is going home. He left camp and took his stuff with him. Seems like he has a strong grip on reality - major league teams don't save seats for journeyman minor league utility players who have unspecified elbow injuries. Hope you bounce back, Chris, but it doesn't look like you're going to break camp with the Royals.

-- Emil Brown had a huge day yesterday, going 3-for-3 with 5 RBI. He's making it extremely difficult for the Royals not to keep him, though I still think it would be a mistake. A fellow poster on the Royals Discussion Board made an apt comparison with Patrick Lennon (remember him?) - spring flash, summer fizzle.

The bottom line is that the Royals have no good options in RF. Nunez doesn't belong on the roster, and Guiel isn't in a much different player than Brown. Diaz probably has the most potential, but he doesn't seem to be on the Royals' radar right now.

-- Allard Baird said that Ruben Gotay is likely the Royals' opening day 2nd baseman. If he's ready, and Graffanino can play utility (as he should), the Royals will be better for it. With Clapinski out of the mix, and Ugueto MIA, I don't see what choice the team has.