Why a Royals reunion with this speedster would make some sense for KC this season

The biggest moment of Samad Taylor's 38-game major league career came late in his big league debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2023.

Summoned from Triple-A Omaha just the day before to take slumping Nate Eaton's place on the roster, Taylor avoided a hitless introduction to The Show by walking off the Angels with a tie-breaking ninth-inning RBI single at Kauffman Stadium.

Since then, however, the majors haven't given Taylor much to brag about. He bounced back and forth from the minors after thrilling Royals fans with his game-winning debut and finished the season with only 12 hits (nine of them singles) over 69 plate appearances.

Kansas City traded him to Seattle before 2024 spring camp opened, but he played only seven times for the Mariners before they recently designated him for assignment.

And now, Taylor is a free agent — after clearing waivers, he declined assignment to Triple-A, opting instead to shop his skills elsewhere.

Should his next stop be Kansas City and a reunion with the Royals?

Bringing back Samad Taylor makes at least some sense for the Royals

Kansas City general manager J.J. Picollo shouldn't summarily dismiss the prospect of reuniting his club with Taylor. Now 27, Taylor offers some tangibles the Royals love.

First is his speed. Taylor has plenty of it — although he hasn't played enough in the majors to make that speed matter, he's stolen 273 bases in 832 minor league games, including 50 at Triple-A Tacoma in 2024, 44 for the Rainiers last year, and 43 for Omaha in 2023. He's succeeded in over 77% of his minor league attempts to steal.

Taylor also knows how to get on base. While his major league sample size is simply too small to judge one way or the other, he's finished five of his nine minor league seasons with an average of at least .293, boasts a .358 minor league OBP — including a .418 Triple-A mark two years ago — and his 407 walks in 3,601 plate appearances give Taylor an 11.3 BB%.

And he's definitely versatile. Able to play almost anywhere, Taylor will begin the 2026 season having played every position professionally except catcher, pitcher, and first base. His defensive appearances include 607 at second base and 121 in left field, which just happen to be troublesome spots for the Royals.

Working against Taylor is a consistent lack of power. He hasn't homered in the big leagues and has only 84 home runs across his nine minor league seasons. On the other hand, 28 of those homers have come in the last two seasons — 11 for Tacoma in 2024 and a career-high 17 in 2025.

Taylor's biggest downside, though, is that he's out of minor league options. The Royals couldn't send him down without passing him through waivers, and then only if he agreed to a demotion.

But he could be worth the risks. Always on the lookout for speed, the ability to get on base, and defensive versatility, the Royals have nothing to lose, and could gain a lot, by signing Taylor to a minor league deal and inviting him to spring training.