Bubba Starling gets the call up, Royals to make corresponding move

Bubba Starling could soon make his major league debut at the ballpark he grew up closest to.

The Royals added Starling to their 25-man roster on Thursday, calling him up from Triple-A Omaha. The 26-year-old outfielder was hitting .310 over 72 games with the Storm Chasers.

The Gardner, Kansas-native — located about 30 minutes outside the Kansas City metro area — could have a good chance to make his MLB debut in Kansas City. The Royals’ next seven games — three against the Tigers and four against the White Sox — are at home.

Starling is enjoying his best overall minor league season, hitting .310 (81-for-261) in 72 games for Omaha, with 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 38 RBI, his first full season at the AAA level. He has an on-base pct. of .358 and a slugging pct. of .448 for an OPS of .806. He has also swiped nine bases in 12 attempts.

Bubba earned a spot in the Triple-A All-Star Game, where he went 0-for-2 with a run scored last night as the Pacific Coast League squad defeated a team from the International League, 9-3 in El Paso, TX.

He has batted at a .355 clip (11-for-31) in his last eight games with the Storm Chasers, a stretch that included five straight two-hit games. Starling also had a 10-game hitting streak in early June in which he batted .436 (17-for-39)

The Royals have yet to announce a corresponding move to their 40-man roster but are expected to ahead of Friday’s game against the Tigers.