The Royals announced that they have drafted an outfielder. Dayron Blanco For the mission. This is a 40-man roster move needed to finalize a one-year contract. Starling MarteThis is official.
Blanco has been a depth outfielder for Kansas City over the past four seasons. He appeared in nearly half of the team’s games from 2023 to 2024, but didn’t make much of an impact last year. Blanco appeared in nine contests and had only eight plate appearances in the major leagues. He went 1-6 with a double while attempting three stolen bases in five attempts.
The 32-year-old (33 in April) missed the first six weeks of the season with right foot Achilles tendinopathy. He regained his health in mid-May and spent most of the year on elective duty. The Cuban native hit .253/.332/.405 with eight home runs in 294 plate appearances in Triple-A. He stole 32 bags in 77 games and was cut only three times.
Blanco, a right-handed hitter, has league-average numbers (.257/.312/.416) over 285 MLB plate appearances. The Royals expressed skepticism that this would still be the case with larger samples. Kansas City’s outfielders hit an MLB-worst .225/.285/.348 last season. Despite outfield problems over the past decade, the Royals haven’t given Blanco much of a starting opportunity.
They have him on the big league roster as a bench piece for the second half of 2023 and all of 2024. Blanco’s top-of-the-line wheels have made him an asset as a pinch runner. He went 55-67 in stolen base attempts over that season and a half. Blanco appeared in 48 games as a pinch runner. No one in MLB has even made 20 pinch-run appearances in those two seasons.
Kansas City must trade Blanco or waive him within five days. He still has two minor league options remaining. He didn’t leave his home country until he was 23 and made his MLB debut at 29, so he’s old for a player with so much of his game built around his legs.
