3 KC Royals players who could be next on the chopping block after Hunter Renfroe DFA

The Kansas City Royals have already started reconstructing their roster after the first couple of months of the 2025 season. First it was veteran reliever Chris Stratton. Then backup catcher Luke Maile. Most recently, it was the somewhat surprising but absolutely necessary DFA of Hunter Renfroe — a move that sent a loud signal across the clubhouse that performance matters, and no name is safe.

With the Royals hanging around in an increasingly competitive AL Central, the front office appears ready to make tough, calculated roster decisions. That means more names could be next. Here are three Kansas City players who could soon be staring down similar fates.

3 KC Royals players who could be next up on the chopping block

UTIL Cavan Biggio 

Versatility can only get you so far — just ask Cavan Biggio. Yes, he’s logged time at five different positions this season, but when the bat is this cold, even Swiss Army knife flexibility can’t justify a roster spot.

Through 35 games, Biggio is slashing an anemic .172/.303/.234 with a .537 OPS — among the worst marks in baseball. While his walk rate and hard-hit percentage suggest he’s not completely lost at the plate, his barrel rate (4.2%) and expected wOBA (.311) tell the story that he’s not generating nearly enough damage.

After signing a minor league deal in January and cracking the Opening Day roster, Biggio needed a hot start to change his narrative. Instead, he's stuck in neutral, and the Royals may soon prefer a younger, higher-upside option.

LHP Ángel Zerpa 

Lefty reliever Ángel Zerpa has flashed promise in the past, but 2025 hasn’t been kind. On paper, a 2–0 record tells one story, but a 5.89 ERA and 1.75 WHIP paint a much grimmer picture. Over his last seven outings, Zerpa has allowed seven earned runs in just 7.0 innings — essentially getting tagged every time he’s on the mound.

His statcast profile screams volatility: a 90.3 mph average exit velocity, 43.9% hard-hit rate, and .372 xwOBA against proving to be a risk if deployed in high-leverage situations.

The Royals have bullpen pieces they trust more, and Zerpa’s window to correct course is rapidly closing.

Luckily for Zerpa, a situation as extreme as a DFA may not be necessary considering he still has an option remaining, but the presence of that option could make the choice that much easier for the Royals to make should he not improve soon.

LHP Sam Long 

The only thing saving Sam Long from immediate DFA consideration is the 15-day IL — and even that might not be enough to buy him more time.

Long has been lit up in his limited action: a brutal 12.86 ERA in 7.0 innings, accompanied by a 2.43 WHIP and .409 batting average allowed with runners on base.  While he’s shown some reverse splits success against righties, the overall picture is bleak.

Once healthy, Long may not get another shot unless the Royals are truly desperate for left-handed relief. And with the trade deadline approaching, reinforcements could spell the end of his time in Kansas City.

The Royals are done playing nice and quite frankly it’s about time. In a season that started with cautious optimism and has shifted into playoff-adjacent urgency, underperformers are being shown the door. Biggio, Zerpa, and Long are all now on notice. If they can’t turn things around, they could be joining Renfroe, Stratton, and Maile as cautionary tales in Kansas City’s midseason shakeup.