Veteran infielder Rafael Furcal, who’s currently rehabbing a torn hamstring suffered while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, has signed a minor-league deal with the Royals.
Unlike most veterans inking minor-league deals Furcal did not receive an invitation to big-league camp, although it’s sort of a non-factor because he’s not even healthy enough to play in games yet.
And that’s basically been the story of Furcal’s post-30 career thanks to endless injuries. He appeared in just nine games for the Marlins last year, didn’t play in the majors at all in 2013, and hasn’t topped a .700 OPS since 2010 with the Dodgers.
In other words, he’s a long shot to make it back to the majors at age 37. But for some no-risk depth, the Royals probably figured why not.