Former Blue Jays top prospect gets a chance at redemption with KC Royals

When the Kansas City Royals signed Cavan Biggio to a minor league deal on January 5, it was clear it may be his last chance at MLB success. The former Toronto Blue Jays top prospect was coming off an extremely underwhelming 2024 campaign, having struggled to an abysmal .197 batting average in 224 plate appearances spread across four different organizations, and he desperately needed to make the Royals' Opening Day roster for 2025.

Well, it looks like he pulled it off.

On March 25, the Royals made what appears to be their final wave of roster cuts before Opening Day, bringing their player count down to the required 26. Following the cuts, MLB.com's Anne Rogers reported that Biggio "expected to break camp with the Royals."

"Still needs to get through today (he’s starting at first base) and be selected to the 40-man," Rogers wrote. "But roster seems set. He’ll round out the bench."

KC Royals appear to set Opening Day roster — with Cavan Biggio

Biggio — the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio — was selected by the Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and after quickly establishing himself as a top prospect in Toronto's system, he debuted in the majors in May 2019. He finished his rookie season with a .234 batting average, 16 home runs, and 48 RBI across 430 plate appearances, and continued to develop with promising numbers through 2020.

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. Injuries seemingly derailed his progress, and since the start of the 2021 season, Biggio has accumulated an underwhelming .216/.325/.349 line with just 27 home runs in 1159 plate appearances.

With his career continuing to decline, Biggio started last season with the Blue Jays, but was designated for assignment on June 7. Five days later, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but found himself designated for assignment again and subsequently released on August 8.

Biggio then signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants on August 23, but after just 12 games in Triple-A (and no MLB appearances), he was traded to the Atlanta Braves on September 7. He appeared in four games for the Braves before the end of the season, finishing 2024 with a .197/.314/.303 line, 5 home runs, and 19 RBI in 224 major league plate appearances split between Toronto, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

For obvious reasons, there was a lot riding on spring training with the Royals this year — and Biggio's slashline was a long way from impressive. Going into KC's game on March 25, the 29-year-old was hitting just .194 across 46 plate appearances in Arizona.

Still, Biggio's defensive verstility makes him valuable. The 29-year-old has played first base, second base, third base, and both corner outfield positions during his career, offering a lot of options from the bench. Now, it appears he'll get a chance to show off that versatility with another shot in the majors — this time, in a Royals jersey.