This KC Royals versatile veteran hitter just reached a major career milestone

While things may not be going to plan for the Kansas City Royals at the moment amidst a slip in form resulting in a slide in the American League standings, they've been able to mix in some feel good storylines to make difficult times seem just a touch brighter.

Last night they got the opportunity to honor a franchise legend in Alex Gordon by inducting him into the Royals Hall of Fame and today they get to congratulate a current Kansas City Royal for reaching a major career milestone.

Veteran first baseman and outfielder Mark Canha has reached 10 years of major league service time.

It may not be as glamorous as say a home run or hits record in terms of personal milestones, but there's a lot to be said about a big leaguer who can stick around at the highest level for over a decade. And with it comes the very beneficial perk of becoming eligible for an MLB Pension Plan, which can see former players receive up to $265,000 per year during their retirement days.

KC Royals veteran Mark Canha reaches 10 years of MLB service time

Canha arrived with the Royals as a bit of an impromptu acquisition at the end of spring training this year after being informed he would not break camp with the Milwaukee Brewers after signing a minor league deal with them this past winter.

Early on he was quite the godsend for Kansas City hitting .346 with a .823 OPS an 130 wRC+ by the time April wrapped up.

Since then, things haven't exactly gone the same way they started for Canha. The Royals have shifted their focus in the outfield towards giving more playing time to younger outfield bats like Jac Caglianone, Drew Waters and John Rave. And with the extreme bounce back from Vinnie Pasquantino along with Caglianone’s arrival, the opportunities at first base have dried up as well.

All that to say, whether or not he remains a Royal by the end of the season, given his lack of playing time, remains to be seen, but considering the type of hitter he's been across his major league career, he's certainly not a bad option to have coming off the bench.

Canha is best known for his time with the Oakland Athletics, having spent the first seven seasons of his now 11-season major league career with the organization.

From 2022 onwards he spent time with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants before he arrived at Kauffman Stadium.

Entering Saturday's game against his former club in the Athletics, Canha holds a career .249/.348/.411 slash line with 120 home runs and 463 RBI in 4099 plate appearances spread across 1086 games.