This power threat exactly what Royals needed

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- The walk from the home clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field to the visiting clubhouse took maybe two minutes for Paul DeJong when he was traded from the White Sox to the Royals at the July 30 Trade Deadline.

By switching to Royal blue, DeJong went from the worst team in baseball to one of the best. A two-minute walk netted him a 40-game jump in the American League Central standings, from a White Sox team deep in another rebuild to a Royals team racing toward the playoffs.

Three weeks later, he couldn’t be more grateful for it.

“I think it’s given me a lot of life to be able to come here every day and compete with these guys,” DeJong said. “They’ve had their culture all year, they’ve been doing well, but for me to be able to step in and do what I can do and bring something to this team, it just makes coming to the ballpark a lot more fun.”

In 14 games with the Royals, DeJong is slashing .286/.340/.548 with three homers – bringing his season total to 21 – while getting his playing time at third base. He hasn’t played as much as he did with the White Sox, but manager Matt Quatraro uses DeJong when the matchups are favorable, with DeJong able to earn more playing time based on performance.

“The day we traded for him … he said, ‘Look, I’m going to do anything I can to help you guys win,’” Quatraro said. “I think that mindset helps a lot.”

DeJong has been a solid depth Trade Deadline pickup for the Royals, giving them a right-handed power threat while fitting the mold of what they had been looking for going back to the offseason: A veteran voice who has postseason experience.

DeJong has been on a playoff roster four times, all with the Cardinals from 2019-22. He finds himself comparing this stretch now to the Cardinals’ playoff run in ‘19, when they won the National League Central and made it to the NLCS.

“I think what the difference is, when you’re on a losing team, you don’t really care about the little things that happen,” DeJong said. “But when you’re on a team like this, little things do matter. You have a reason to be here. There’s a lot more energy around what we do every day.

“... I want to do my best to fill any void this team has, contribute in the ways I’m able to contribute,” DeJong said. “Every opportunity I get, I’m trying to seize that and do my best for this team.”