KC Royals Farm Futures: Prospects could force outfield discussion

In not totally unexpected news, the KC Royals re-inked a trio of players to deals to keep them in the organization.

The KC Royals’ recent 40-man roster decisions led to cuts and players being designated for assignment. Three of those are now back under minor league deals with the Royals.

Bubba Starling, Carlos Sanabria, and Foster Griffin will continue to have a chance to stick with the big league club down the road. Starling is the big name in this group, and because he’s the hometown draft pick, plenty are still pulling for him.

After a resurgence in performance in the minors in 2018 and 2019, Starling finally received the call to the big league squad. He has struggled to make it work in the majors, however, and this may be his last shot with the team.

Griffin made his major league debut this summer, pitching one and two-thirds inning of shutout ball. He has struggled in four of his previous five minor league years and could be transitioning from a starter to a reliever. But he’ll miss most, if not all, of this coming season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

Sanabria played for the Houston Astros in 2020 before the Royals claimed him off waivers and then promptly released him a few weeks later. He was a decent reliever in the minors in 2019 and will be 24 years old next year. He has a lively arm, striking out over 10 per inning in ’18 and ’19, making him worth taking a shot on.

There’s a lot to digest this week in prospect and minor league news. We’ll keep you posted as more changes and announcements are expected in the coming weeks.