Kansas City Royals: 3 players who won’t make the 2020 roster

After multiple years of less and less playing time, it may be time for the Kansas City Royals to finally move on from Jorge Bonifacio.

Another name many Royals fans will recognize is Jorge Bonifacio. Bonifacio, like Cuthbert, is another player who has spent his career with the Royals, working through the minor league system and finding some major league playing time during the 2017-2019 seasons. Some fans might remember Emilio Bonifacio as well, who is an older brother of Jorge and spent some time with the Royals in 2013.

Bonifacio made his first major league appearance in 2017 when he played 113 games with the Royals. He ended the 2017 season with a .255 batting average, 17 home runs, and 40 RBI’s. For the 2018-19 seasons, Bonifacio saw his playing time slip away, only appearing in 69 games in 2018 and 5 in 2019.

During his five games for 2019, Bonifacio hit .350/.381/.500, but was sent back down to the minors where he was unable to continue the production. Bonifacio ended 2019 in the minors with a .222/.284/.417 slash, producing 62 RBI’s and 20 home runs, but never finding his way back to the majors.

Defensively, Bonifacio leaves something to be desired with a career fielding percentage of .980. Like Cuthbert, Bonifacio finds himself behind other Royals outfielders who may struggle at the plate, but shine defensively.

The Royals outfield is crowded. With the possibility of a returning Alex Gordon, Bubba Starling, Brett Phillips, Jorge Soler, and the increasingly frequent outfield sightings of Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier, Bonifacio just doesn’t seem to fit into the future plan.  For these reasons, Bonifacio looks to be another candidate the Royals should move on from to make way for future players.

It’s always difficult to say which players deserve to be cut and which deserve to stay. The Kansas City Royals must continue to evaluate the players on their roster, though, as obviously something is not working. Moving on from some players will not only help the Royals clear up space for others, but it can help create some salary room to bring in players that will be a part of the team’s future.