Royals DFA Renfroe as search for offensive answers continue

MINNEAPOLIS -- As the Royals search for answers to their ongoing offensive issues, they cut ties with a struggling outfielder Friday, as veteran Hunter Renfroe was designated for assignment ahead of their series opener against the Twins at Target Field.

In a corresponding move, Kansas City recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Loftin from Triple-A Omaha.

Loftin won’t be expected to play the hero as the Royals search for ways to score more runs -- that will be more on the lineup improving as a whole. Loftin didn’t play in Kansas City’s 3-1 walk-off loss to Minnesota on Friday, with Ty France jumping on a first-pitch slider from Lucas Erceg in the ninth inning.

But the Royals do want to give the 26-year-old utility player an extended look. He’ll play all over the field -- first, second, third and left field -- and hope to bring his production from Triple-A, where he was slashing .295/.451/.468 with more walks (39) than strikeouts (22). He’s seen a jump in hard-hit rate this year but isn’t a home run hitter; rather the Royals want him to bring his plate discipline and line-drive approach to their lineup.

“This is going to be Nick’s opportunity to show he can continue to be the same type of hitter that he was in Triple-A,” general manager J.J. Picollo said.

To do that, they had to make room on the roster, and it was time to move on from the 33-year-old Renfroe. He was slashing .182/.241/.242 with zero home runs in 35 games this season. Renfroe’s playing time dwindled significantly with the lack of production; he wasn’t hitting the ball hard (88.5 mph average exit velocity), and he wasn’t getting on base (7.4% walk rate).

“We have a ton of respect for Hunter and what he’s done in this game,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He was a key part of our team last year and part of that free-agent class that really changed the culture and allowed us to get on some winning ways. That part of it’s hard. We know he’s given it great effort. We were trying to be patient.

“But I think this is as much about Nick Loftin doing what he did in Triple-A that gave us reason to believe that we have a replacement [who] would maybe be an upgrade for our team.”

Renfroe signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, with the second year being a player option that Renfroe triggered this past offseason. The club will still owe Renfroe his full $7.65 million salary he was making this season.

That contract was what led the Royals to continue to give Renfroe a chance as their everyday right fielder in 2025, despite his .689 OPS and 0.0 bWAR last year. They had hoped a healthy season -- after dealing with toe, back and hamstring injuries last year -- would yield better results.

Renfroe ends his time with Kansas City with a .647 OPS and -1.5 WAR.

The Royals have now moved on from two veteran players with guaranteed contracts this season after designating reliever Chris Stratton -- who is making $4.5 million this year -- for assignment last weekend. Both were leaders who helped the Royals turn their clubhouse culture around last year as they got back to the postseason. But the decline in production warranted upgrades.

The Royals got younger in the process: The Stratton move allowed them to give Jonathan Bowlan an extended look in the bullpen; Renfroe’s departure gives Loftin an opportunity.

“I think the goal for this organization is to win our division this year,” Picollo said. “It is a little bit more difficult when a guy’s got guaranteed money, but sometimes you come to those decisions [because] you’ve got to do what’s best for the team. These two moves, we felt like at this moment, was best for our team. Not only now, but maybe even moving forward. … While we’re trying to win now, we’re also thinking about the future. These are guys that we think are part of our organization for years to come.”

Now, both of the options the Royals had hoped would give them more power and middle-order protection are not on the active roster with Renfroe gone and MJ Melendez in Triple-A.

Entering Friday, Kansas City (28-24) was averaging 3.4 runs per game through 51 games and ranked last in the Majors with 32 home runs.

They didn’t fare much better Friday night despite jumping to an early lead against Twins starter Pablo López and making the righty work hard with 102 pitches in 5 2/3 innings.

The Royals went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. That wasted another excellent start from lefty Noah Cameron, who allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings and has a 0.93 ERA in three starts.

Kansas City is 1-2 in those three games. He’s gotten four runs of support in 19 1/3 innings.

“Disappointed we couldn’t pull that out for him tonight,” said Vinnie Pasquantino, who has hit safely in seven consecutive games. “... We just got to keep trying to have good at-bats and keep moving runners and doing the little things right. There’s a few things we can look at tonight to be a little bit better tomorrow night.”