The Kansas City Royals get another reinforcement back in the fold for the home stretch. On Thursday, the team announced they had reinstated outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Injured List. Renfroe landed on the injured list back on August 25 after suffering a right hamstring strain. He’ll join a new-look Royals roster that features new additions Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman, and Yuli Gurriel. This season, Renfroe has put together a .237/.312/.398 slash line with 12 home runs. Since the start of June, however, he’s been much better, posting a .830 OPS and a 131 wRC+. Renfroe will be a welcome addition to a lineup that certainly needs a boost following the broken thumb of first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino.
Steven Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Renfroe on the 28-man roster. The Royals also designated reliever Dan Altavilla for assignment. Altavilla had made five appearances for the Major League club this season, pitching to a 14.73 ERA. Results were somewhat better in a longer sample for Triple-A Omaha, but an injury sidelined him for much of the season. He was on the 60-day injured list but needed to be reinstated. As a result, a DFA was necessary to fit into the 40-man roster restriction. Altavilla will now hit waivers and could potentially remain in the organization should he clear and accept a minor league assignment.
