Royals bring back Drew Waters for final month

Waters passed through waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. He’ll presumably stick around with Kansas City for the remainder of the season as organizational depth. The 27-year-old didn’t end up making an appearance after being called up earlier this month.

Waters was a notable prospect with Atlanta before being shipped to Kansas City nearly a half decade ago. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to carve out a permanent spot in the majors, hitting just .234 with 14 homers and 21 steals in 684 plate appearances since 2022. He’s young enough that there’s probably an organization out there willing to roll the dice on Waters as a reclamation project.

The 27-year-old outfielder was removed from the team’s 40-man roster on Wednesday, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as extra outfield depth for the Royals. He should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Waters just hasn’t looked like a major leaguer the last couple of years, and he didn’t change any minds while hitting .188/.250/.281 this spring. If he clears waivers, he’ll have to accept an outright assignment,

Waters greeted Aidan Anderson in the first inning, crushing the first pitch that he saw for a 440-foot (108.8 mph) two-run home run that increased the Royals’ lead to 7-4. Waters also walked in the second inning and scored as Jonathan India bounced into a double play. The 27-year-old outfielder is off to a slow start this spring, hitting just .231 (3-for-13), so hopefully this is just what he needs to get him going.

The Royals needed to free up a spot on their active roster to squeeze Luke Maile in on Friday night to provide depth behind the plate and Waters was the unfortunate roster casualty. He’ll get another opportunity with the big league club in relatively short order.

This will make back-to-back games against right-handed pitchers that Waters isn’t starting. The 26-year-old begins Friday’s game on the bench with Nick Loftin hitting seventh and playing left field.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 26-year-old outfielder. Waters has been unimpressive in his time with the Royals this season, slashing .269/.307/.359 with one homer, 13 RBI, and five stolen bases in 176 plate appearances. Nick Loftin will start in his place in left field and will bat seventh against Yankees’ right-hander Will Warren.

Massey was scratched from the lineup on May 28 with left ankle soreness before returning three days later. If it’s still bothering him, that’s a good excuse to put him on a rehab assignment for a spell, though he has all of his options remaining and there was no reason the Royals couldn’t have sent him down several weeks ago. Massey has hit a disastrous .202/.221/.258 over 209 plate appearances as one of the league’s worst players this year. Jonathan India will start at second base for now, though he’s been doing quite a bit of that anyway. Nick Loftin and Drew Waters figure to pick up extra at-bats in Massey’s place.

He takes Cavan Biggio’s roster spot. It’s the first ever callup for the 27-year-old Rave, the Royals’ fifth-round pick in 2019. He was hitting .301/.382/.549 with nine homers and 17 steals for Omaha, which is nice step forward from his typical production. The Royals will probably play him against most righties, resulting in fewer at-bats for Drew Waters and maybe Michael Massey. It’s unlikely that he’ll prove useful in mixed leagues, though not entirely impossible, given his steal potential.