KC Royals rock roster with 2 big waiver claims

Kansas City is making weekend moves.

Mike Gillespie

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Still reeling from the loss of Vinnie Pasquantino and preparing to add two players Sunday via September roster expansion, the KC Royals have made a couple of major waiver claims, picking up veteran outfielders Tommy Pham from St. Louis and Robbie Grossman from the White Sox.

The moves prove Kansas City isn't satisfied with its roster as it moves into the final 26 regular season guarding slim leads over Minnesota and Boston for the second and third American League Wild Card slots. The Royals are also within striking distance (2.5 games) of American League Central front-runner Cleveland going into tonight's contest with the Astros in Houston. KC has lost the first two games of its four-contest series with the Astros, including Friday night's defeat that wasted Seth Lugo's superb start.

To clear 40-man roster space for Pham and Grossman, the Royals designated two Triple-A players — infielder CJ Alexander and catcher Austin Nola — for assignment. Because the Royals don't expect either player to report to the club until Sunday, no corresponding 26-man roster moves were required Saturday. But the club will have to do something when the two new Royals check in Sunday.

What Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman bring to the KC Royals

Pham, well-traveled this season after playing for the White Sox and Cardinals, is in his 11th big league season. He slashed .266/.330/.380 with five homers and 19 RBI in 70 games for Chicago before the team shipped him to St. Louis as part of the complex three-club trade via which the Dodgers acquired pitcher Michael Kopech from the Sox and the Cards obtained Erick Fedde and Pham from Chicago. Pham played 23 times for the Cardinals and hit just .206, homered twice, and drove in 12 runs.

Pham's .254 season average is better than any of the Royals' regular outfielders. Expect him to get playing time in right field until Hunter Renfroe returns from the Injured List, while the club keeps MJ Melendez and his 17 home runs in left and Kyle Isbel's excellent defense in center. Renfroe can't rejoin the club until next week at the earliest.

Like Pham, Grossman will join his third team of the season when he reports to the Royals. He started the campaign with the White Sox and hit .211 in 25 games before they traded him to Texas in early May. He played in 45 games for the Rangers and hit .238 with three home runs. Look for the Royals to use him as an outfield backup — he's played every outfield position since breaking in with the Astros in 2013.

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Mike Gillespie

Mike Gillespie is a Contributor at Kings of Kauffman, where he began writing about the Royals in 2019. He's also served as a Site Expert and Site Co-Expert and has written almost 1,500 stories about the Royals since joining the site. He also makes occasional radio guest appearances to talk about the Royals. Mike has followed baseball since watching his first game on TV in 1963. Among other interesting life pursuits, he's been an award-winning sportswriter for a Kansas daily newspaper and a police officer, and is now a semi-retired lawyer who spends most of his time writing about baseball and playing golf.