Royals designate Hunter Renfroe for assignment

Another Hunter that didn’t work out.

The Royals announced they have designated outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment and have called up infielder Nick Loftin from Triple-A Omaha. Renfroe was hitting just .182/.241/.242 with no home runs in 35 games and was worth -1.5 WAR, according to Baseball Reference.

The Royals originally signed Renfroe to a two-year, $13 million deal before the 2024 season. He has enjoyed five 25+ home run seasons in his career, and the Royals were hoping he could provide power in the middle of the lineup. Although his offensive numbers were declining, he was coming off a 20-home run season when the Royals signed him.

But he struggled in 2024, hitting .229/.297/.392 with 15 home runs, the lowest total in a full season in his career. This year his power seemed zapped, and he had just six extra-base hits in 108 plate appearances. Even worse, he was a defensive liability and his plus arm had deteriorated.

The Royals have seven days to trade Renfroe, or place him on waivers, although with $7.5 million owed him this year, it seems unlikely anyone would take him. The Royals will be obligated to pay his remaining salary minus the minimum wage should any team pick him up after clearing waivers. The Royals cut ties with struggling reliever Chris Stratton earlier this week.

Loftin is a former first-round pick who has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Royals, hitting .229/.307/.295 in 75 games. He was hitting .295/.451/.468 with four home runs in 40 games for Triple-A Omaha and his 39 walks are the fourth-most in all minor leagues.