SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals made significant roster moves on Sunday, outrighting three players to remove them from their 40-man roster as the Opening Day roster continues to come into focus.
Outfielder Nelson Velázquez, first baseman/outfielder Nick Pratto and right-hander Carlos Hernández were placed on outright waivers, removing them from the 40-man roster.
The Phillies claimed Hern¨¢ndez off waivers and added him to their 40-man roster. Pratto and Vel¨¢zquez cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Omaha.
All three players are out of Minor League options, meaning if the Royals weren¡¯t going to place them on the 26-man roster, they would have to remove them completely from the 40-man through the waiver process. That¡¯s what ended up happening after none performed the way the Royals would have liked to see this Spring Training.
Vel¨¢zquez, 26, went 5-for-24 this spring with zero homers, five walks and five strikeouts. He made the Royals¡¯ roster out of camp in 2024 and slashed .200/.274/.366 with eight homers in 64 games. In Triple-A the rest of the year, he posted a .771 OPS. Vel¨¢zquez showed his power potential in 2023 after the Royals acquired him in a trade with the Cubs, hitting 14 homers in 40 games.
There was hope Vel¨¢zquez could be the Royals¡¯ right-handed power bat off the bench, but he didn¡¯t show enough and then the Royals acquired Mark Canha on Friday, blocking Vel¨¢zquez¡¯s path.
The same can be said for Pratto, whom the Royals drafted No. 14 overall in the 2017 Draft. The 26-year-old was a top prospect through the Minor Leagues, but struggled with the adjustments to the big leagues after making his debut in 2022. Pratto was only called up once last year and didn¡¯t take an at-bat, while posting a .734 OPS and striking out at a 30.4% clip at Triple-A.
¡°Nick¡¯s been here a long time,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°A lot of people feel very highly about his ability. He just has to play and, like I like to say, knock the door down to get back up here. He¡¯s got a lot of ability. He has to do it consistently.
¡°¡ It¡¯s just a tough decision we had to make. Fortunately, selfishly for us, they¡¯re both still in the organization, so they have an opportunity to continue to play and work their way back here.¡±
Despite playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at first, he was blocked there by Vinnie Pasquantino as the everyday first baseman and Salvador Perez seeing more time there in the past year. Pratto worked almost exclusively in the outfield this spring to show his versatility, but he went only 6-for-30 with 13 strikeouts in 15 Cactus League games.
Because no team claimed Vel¨¢zquez or Pratto, they¡¯ll both head to Triple-A Omaha to begin the season. They¡¯re still considered part of the Royals¡¯ depth options there, and with Pasquantino¡¯s status unclear after sustaining a right hamstring strain Saturday, Pratto could get another chance with Kansas City.
Hern¨¢ndez still won¡¯t have any Minor League options with the Phillies.
The Royals opted to put Daniel Lynch IV in the bullpen to begin the season, finalizing the Opening Day pitching staff without Hern¨¢ndez on it after the 28-year-old failed to show any consistency this spring. The club knew there was a chance it would lose Hern¨¢ndez to another team because he¡¯s a young reliever who throws 100 mph and has elite swing and miss stuff, but his inconsistency with throwing strikes led the Royals to move on from their 2016 international signee.
¡°He¡¯s got huge upside,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°We¡¯ve seen it in spurts. But the two outs on five pitches and then a 25-pitch inning, or those kinds of things -- he just has to be more consistent. Carlos is a really tough one to lose. A guy who throws 100 mph that you¡¯re hoping is a really high-leverage guy for you. I think that speaks a lot to where we are, [by] being able to lose a guy like that and thinking we can absorb it. Whereas a couple of years ago, I don¡¯t think we felt that way.¡±
With Vel¨¢zquez and Pratto beginning the year in Triple-A, the Royals¡¯ bench battle narrowed to only a few options for the final spot. It¡¯s expected that Canha, backup catcher Freddy Fermin and outfielder Dairon Blanco -- the Royals¡¯ main pinch-runner -- will all break camp with the team, along with the everyday players: Catcher Perez; infielders Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr., Jonathan India, Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia; and outfielders MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe.
That leaves one spot remaining, and the Royals will use the next two days in Texas for their exhibition games at Globe Life Field to decide who will go to Kansas City with them. Pasquantino¡¯s status will be a factor in the decision; Canha can play first base, but the Royals may want more protection there if Pasquantino isn¡¯t ready.
Outfielders Drew Waters and Joey Wiemer, as well as utility players Cavan Biggio, Harold Castro, Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert are all still in consideration. Biggio, Castro and Tolbert are all non-roster players, but with the 40-man roster now at 38 after Canha¡¯s addition Monday, there are open spots for them if they make the team.