Royals bring back Frazier in trade to bolster veteran bench presence

In an effort to fortify their bench with a veteran presence and leadership, the Royals traded for a player who did exactly that for them last season.

Kansas City acquired infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier from the Pirates on Wednesday, sending infielder Cam Devanney to Pittsburgh as the second half is about to kick off.

TRADE DETAILS
Royals acquire: INF/OF Adam Frazier
Pirates acquire: Minors INF Cam Devanney

The Royals had added Devanney to the 40-man roster last week when Mark Canha hit the injured list with a left elbow injury. Devanney, 28, hit 18 home runs with a .931 OPS with Triple-A Omaha this year, but he had yet to get in a Major League game and was blocked on the Royals’ depth chart.

“We’ve always had great admiration for Fraz,” general manager J.J. Picollo said Wednesday. “... He became kind of an easy target for us because of how much respect we have for him and where we are [with] our 13-man position player roster. We lack depth. We need to get better in all areas, but depth is important.”

While Frazier is certainly not the impactful offensive upgrade the Royals will seek as the July 31 Trade Deadline nears, the club has long thought its bench needed a veteran presence to give what the industry likes to call a “professional at-bat” -- working the pitch count, working a walk, poking a single the other way, moving runners over or getting them in from third, etc. -- coming in late in games when needed.

The 33-year-old only hit .202 across just 294 plate appearances for the Royals in 2024, but he has better numbers in Pittsburgh this year, with a .255/.318/.336 slash line in 262 plate appearances.

Plus, he’s hitting .310 with runners on base this season, including a .289 clip (13-for-45) with runners in scoring position -- an area that the Royals have struggled in this year with a .229 team average and a .627 OPS in scoring situations.

And the left-handed-hitting Frazier’s .267/.326/.352 slash line against righties this year is more on par with what the Royals thought he would do last year, when he played through a right thumb injury that required an offseason procedure.

Also notable is that the Royals loved Frazier last year; he provided invaluable leadership for the clubhouse. Several people in and around the organization, including players, had mentioned earlier this year that the clubhouse was missing personalities like Frazier as the team endures its ups and downs during a 162-game season.

Even though the team is currently scattered while enjoying the All-Star break, Royals players have already reached out to Frazier to say how excited they are about welcoming him back.

“I do think we missed having his voice,” Picollo said. “He was kind of the voice of reason. Even while he wasn’t performing the way he wanted to perform, he was still able to help our team.”

But Picollo also said that he acquired Frazier for more than just the leadership. The Royals believe this season’s numbers are more indicative of the kind of hitter Frazier is, and they felt they needed a left-handed bat to play situationally with the rest of their bench.

That might mean getting some starts, but it will also certainly mean a lot of pinch-hit opportunities. With a Royals offense in desperate need of a spark, Frazier could play his way into the lineup, too.

Since the Royals demoted MJ Melendez to Triple-A and designated Hunter Renfroe for assignment, they’ve been piecing together a young bench. Their current roster includes John Rave (80 career plate appearances), Nick Loftin (342 career PA) and Tyler Tolbert (14 career PA). Jac Caglianone (138 career PA) is getting everyday at-bats, with the Royals hopeful that the 22-year-old’s power will eventually arrive in the Majors this year.

In Triple-A, Melendez, Drew Waters and Dairon Blanco have all gotten opportunities without much success.

And the Royals are still without second baseman/left fielder Michael Massey (left ankle sprain and right wrist injury), although the club is optimistic he could begin a rehab assignment soon and continue working on his swing after starting the season with a .479 OPS.

“There’s not a lot of experience there,” Picollo said of the Royals’ current bench configuration. “That’s not a knock on them. We just know that the veteran player who’s been in that role understands when his time is going to come to play in the game, mentally more prepared, and he’s got it.”

The Royals -- at 47-50 and 4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot -- want to be aggressive at the Deadline. Their main target will be offense, and Frazier’s acquisition might be a small step toward finding a solution.

It’s likely not, and shouldn’t be, the last.

“We’ve had an OK first half,” Picollo said. “It wasn’t really what we expected, but we’ve got a lot of games to play and building off the experience we had last year, knowing what our abilities are, knowing that we have strong pitching -- we believe we can keep pushing through this. Adding guys to the roster is how we go about it. You just want to make your team a little bit deeper.”