In a somewhat expected move, the Kansas City Royals optioned outfielder Tyler Gentry to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday. Gentry was added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. As recently as last summer, it looked as if Gentry would have a chance to crack the 2024 Opening Day roster with the Royals. A slow start in 2023 gave some pause to that notion, however, and the Royals reacted accordingly.
Before last year’s trade deadline, Kansas City traded reliever Jose Cuas to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Nelson Velázquez. “Nelly Nukes” proceeded to finish the season on fire. He finished the year with 17 home runs after slashing .235/.302/.586. It’s unlikely Velázquez will be able to repeat his gaudy .352 ISO but he certainly did enough to rank higher on the totem pole than Gentry at this point. Then, this offseason the Royals went further, signing outfielder Hunter Renfroe to a two-year contract. Renfroe will be the stabilizing veteran force on the big league club.
An expected demotion with another chance to prove himself
For Gentry, it’ll be yet another chance to prove himself. In 2023, he took the trip to Omaha to start his season and stayed there all year. In the first half for the Storm Chasers, Gentry slashed a pedestrian .231/.336/.383 with an 11.7% walk rate. Then, after the All-Star Break, he took off. From July 14 through the end of 2023, Gentry slashed .289/.422/.483 with a .194 ISO and a 17.9% walk rate. If he can start 2024 anywhere near that level of production, the latest stop in Omaha will prove to be a more temporary one.
For the Royals, the outfield is stocked full but lacking experience. Former Top-100 prospect, MJ Melendez, seems like the highest upside option after he saw an impressive turnaround over last season’s second-half. He’ll join Velázquez and Renfroe in the mix as the presumptive starters for Opening Day. Beyond those three, Kyle Isbel looks to have the Opening Day center field spot locked down. With Gentry now optioned, the final outfield spot on the 26-man roster looks to be a battle between Drew Waters and Dairon Blanco.
