Major League Baseball mandates that teams play out the games scheduled in September, regardless how far out of contention they are. Players are contractually obligated to play in those games.

Fans, on the other hand, are under no obligation to watch or listen to those games, check the box scores, or to give any regard whatsoever to what happens.

Most fans of the Kansas City Royals have moved on, as of last Sunday, to football season, and rightly so. But still, the baseball games go on. And a lot has happened, and will happen, this September that is worthy of note.

New Ownership:

The sale of the Royals to Kansas City businessman John Sherman requires approval at the league meeting this winter. But with that approval essentially guaranteed, Sherman can get a jumpstart this fall on deciding the direction of the franchise. He’ll certainly be paying close attention to the product on the field, as well as evaluating what help can be realistically expected from the minor league system.

Little is known about Sherman’s plans for the team as it is currently constituted. There are rumors that he’ll keep general manager Dayton Moore in some capacity. Whether or not manager Ned Yost returns for another season remains to be seen.

Sherman’s evaluation, and his philosophy toward spending on free agents (to this point unknown) will affect the futures of several current Royals. Should Alex Gordon be brought back for a swan song? Should the team lock slugger Jorge Soler up long term? Should veterans Whit Merrifield, Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy be traded for prospects?

Roster Expansion:

Major league teams are expanding their rosters in a big way for the last time this September. By rule, teams have been permitted to bring anyone on their 40-man roster up to the big leagues on September 1. If a club so desired, it could fill its dugout with prospects and give them a chance to gain experience on the big stage.

The tradition of roster expansion in September allows a handful of men every year to realize the dream of playing in the major leagues who would otherwise never make it. For all the players called up, the expansion allows them to showcase their abilities for future opportunities.

Backup catcher Nick Dini was called up to Kansas City earlier in the summer due to an injury to Cam Gallagher. But Dini knows what September roster expansion means to fringe players like himself.

“It’s huge. You play the whole season with the hopes of getting to play in the big leagues,” Dini said. “All the work you put in during the offseason, and during the season, it’s all for this, to get to get to the big leagues and show what you can do. September is a huge opportunity that we all want to take advantage of.”

Dini admitted part of the challenge of September call-ups is that playing time for so many players is limited. Men accustomed to playing every day suddenly find themselves sitting on the bench for days at a time.

“It’s tough but that’s part of being a professional,” the 26-year-old catcher said. “When it’s your turn to play, you’ve got to be ready to play. The days when you aren’t playing, you’ve got to put the work in to make sure you’re ready to go when your name is called.”

The rule of September roster expansion was recently amended. Starting next season, teams will only be allowed to expand their rosters to 28. Dini said this fact is well known to minor leaguers.

“Guys are aware of (the change) and how it’s going to affect opportunities. That’s 12 less slots for each team, so 12 less opportunities for guys to get called up. But that’s what’s going on. There’s nothing you can do about it. My mentality has been just to go out and prepare, and if, God willing, it happens, then you’re ready to go.”

The Royals’ September call-ups include utility player Erick Mejia and pitchers Gabe Speier and Jesse Hahn. Each has a good shot at being on the roster next summer, so this exposure should accelerate their learning curve.

Keller On Ice:

The Royals announced in late August that it would limit pitcher Brad Keller’s innings and pitch count. The team indicated that Keller still had a ways to go in the season, but it hinted at concern for the 24-year-old’s health. He got blasted on August 26, and that was all the Royals needed to immediately shut Keller down.

“It was a consensus among the coaches that it’s what I needed,” Keller said. “It sucks, from the competitive side. You always want to go out there and compete with the boys. But it’s like a stepping stone for the future. They’re looking out for my best interest, and I agree with what they’re doing. So I just have to (accept it) and keep moving forward.”

Keller’s absence in the starting rotation will open up opportunities for others. Giving starts to Jorge Lopez will open up relief opportunities for Speier, Hahn and others. The final month should see Kyle Zimmer, Josh Staumont and Eric Skoglund get a long look in the bullpen.

“I’m really excited to see how we do in September and what the other guys can do,” said Keller. “It’s a showcase. It’s going to give them a chance to get their feet wet, to get an understanding of what it’s like to play in the big leagues, on and off the field.”

Minor League Playoffs:

When the prospects that eventually won the 2015 World Series worked their way up through the farm system, a premium was placed on winning minor league championships. The franchise wanted the Royals of the future to learn to win together. New prospects, now at the lower levels of the minors, are reviving the winning tradition.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks, a club flush with premium prospects, is competing this weekend for the high A classification Carolina League championship. Meanwhile the lower A-ball Lexington Legends are playing for a South Atlantic League title. And down at the Royals Dominican Academy, a collection of Latin American prospects claimed the Dominican Summer League championship.

Fall League Action:

Some of the Royals’ top prospects in the minors will get additional seasoning in the Arizona Fall League. Brewer Hicklen and Kyle Isbel, seen by the Royals as outfielders of the future, will be joined by versatile slugger Gabriel Cancel. Pitcher Daniel Lynch, considered the Royals #3 prospect, will see some additional innings in Arizona to make up for time lost due to injury earlier in the summer. Lynch will be accompanied in Arizona by fellow pitching prospects Daniel Tillo and Tad Ratliff.

Midway through spring training, when the Kansas City Royals were trying to put the pieces together for 2019, disaster struck. One of their indispensable pieces, prized catcher Salvador Perez, was knocked out for the entire season by an arm injury.

The hope was that the Royals could make drastic improvement on their miserable 2018 showing. But things needed to go right for the 2019 version of the Royals to stay out of the cellar. Keeping key players healthy was tops on the list.

Statistically speaking, Perez is a very good player. Five times he’s been awarded the Gold Glove as best defensive catcher in the American League. At the plate, he’s a free swinger who won’t wow you with his batting average or on-base percentage. But, as catchers go, he’s a solid producer. His 97 home runs over the past four seasons leads the team over that period, as does his 294 RBI.

But it’s in the intangible areas – handling pitchers, calling a game, keeping the clubhouse positive – that he shines. His loss, in that respect, was potentially devastating.

The Royals had to make some decisions, fast. Should they go into the season relying upon the backups they had in the majors to fill Perez’ void? Should they give someone in the lower minors a drastic promotion? Or should they look outside the organization for a replacement?

The number one candidate outside the organization couldn’t have been more clear. Martin Maldonado, a seven-year veteran, had become a free agent without a team, and was just waiting for a call.

Maldonado is not just any catcher. He’s an elite defender, a Gold Glove winner as recently as 2017. Maldonado entered free agency having led all major league catchers in 2018 in caught-stealing percentage at 48.57 percent, just ahead of Perez, coincidentally, who threw out 48.08 percent.

The Royals could have pressed backup Cam Gallagher into full-time duty, and elevated one of their minor league catchers for help. But sensing a need for a more experienced and capable hand, they brought Maldonado in for $2.5 million for one year. Thus they provided a stopgap while leaving the door wide open for Perez to return next season.

“Martin came in very prepared,” said Gallagher, who as the team’s number two catcher has played in eight games this year. “He’s amazingly talented defensively, and he’s seen a lot so he’s got a real knowledge of the game.”

Gallagher said the rehabbing Perez has helped Maldonado acclimate.

“Having Salvy here, he has really helped. Seeing the stuff that they do, how they go about their business, how they prepare for games, it’s been something I’ve tried to learn from.

“It’s got to be a big change jumping from one organization to another. You have to learn all 13 pitchers, their strengths and weaknesses, what they like to do. Learning each of their game plans is pretty difficult and takes time.”

Pitcher Brad Keller noted that Maldonado had very little time in spring training to get up to speed with his new team. But he said he’s been impressed by the work his new battery mate has put in.

“It certainly happened quick,” Keller said. “It’s a big adjustment that starts with throwing bullpens in spring training, learning how each pitcher’s pitch moves, what they like to do, especially in which counts. Credit to him. He is a communicator and he puts in the work. He’s worked his tail off since he’s been with us, trying to figure out all of our staff on such a short notice.

“He just jumped right in with the time we had left, and started catching bullpens. You can tell him things, but he’s got to personally see it.”

So the obvious question is, why was Maldonado available, and at such an affordable rate?

Look no further than his .218 career batting average and his .257 career slugging percentage. Maldonado just isn’t a hitter. The Royals knew that going in, so his anemic showing isn’t a disappointment. But it is a liability. Maldonado is part of a miserably weak bottom half of the Royals order that is dragging the rest of the team down. If the Royals must employ a catcher who can’t hit, they need other bats to pick up the slack. Thus far they haven’t.

Maldonado has filled a critical hole and has earned praise from his teammates. But his presence hasn’t translated into many wins. And he’s certainly not making people forget the beloved Salvador Perez.