Veteran infielder is a perfect fit off the bench for KC Royals in 2025

After acquiring Jonathan India as the team's much-needed leadoff hitter, the Kansas City Royals' middle infield seems to be set. Still, Kansas City could use more depth on the bench behind Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, India, Michael Massey, and Maikel Garcia, especially in the event that injuries happen or a player needs a day off.

As it sits right now, Nick Loftin is the backup infielder, which could be a solid option. Still, he has not proven to be a reliable option to count on with his inconsistencies at Triple-A throughout the last few years, and he struggled in the majors in 2024.

One way the Royals could fill this position is with veteran infielder Jose Iglesias, who is coming off a strong year with the New York Mets. He thrived in a bench role, playing in just 85 games and having some outstanding numbers, so he's a player the Royals should seriously consider utilizing in 2025.

Jose Iglesias is a perfect fit for the KC Royals if used in a non-everyday role

Last season, Iglesias had a batting average of .337 with 4 home runs and 26 runs. His OPS sat at .830, along with a wRC+ of 137, strikeout rate of 13.4%, and whiff rate of 15.2%. Those numbers are very solid in just 270 at bats.

Since Statcast put his xBA — a stat that removes defense and ballpark from the equation to express the batter's skill at the moment of contact — at .285, Iglesias may have gotten a bit lucky with his .337 batting average. Still, .285 is a strong number, and if he'd had enough at-bats to qualify for percentile rankings, he'd be ranked highly in the league.

Iglesias' defensive numbers are also excellent and a big reason why his career fWAR is at 17. In 2024, he saw the most innings at second base and delivered 1 Out Above Average (OAA) and 1 Defensive Run Saved (DRS). At third base, his OAA was 2 and he saved 4 defensive runs. He also saw time at shortstop, but that was just 18 innings. All of this equated to his Fielding Run Value (FRV) of 1, which ranked him in the 60th percentile of all qualified fielders.

Iglesias' biggest strength is his glove, but if the Royals could get his 2024 bat too, that would be a major plus. While newly-acquired India's bat was solid in 2024 and will likely be a great addition to Kansas City's lineup, his defense has been shaky at best, so adding Iglesias makes a lot of sense for late-game substitutions.

As an added plus, Iglesias would not break the bank. He's expected to make less than $2 million in 2025, so this could be a steal for Kansas City.

Time will tell whether the Royals take advantage of an opportunity to utilize a versatile veteran.