The Royals have made a free-agent signing, inking infielder Jordan Groshans to a minor league contract on Tuesday. A first-round pick in 2018, Groshans went 12th overall to the Blue Jays where he spent the early parts of his professional career. He was later traded to Miami in 2022 for Anthony Bass and Zach Pop before being placed on waivers prior to the 2024 season.

Groshans spent the start of 2024 with the Yankees in their minor league system. The bulk of that time came in 33 games with New York’s Double-A affiliate. He slashed just .234/.314/.262 with a 73 wRC+, a mark that didn’t improve much after a mid-season trade to the Athletics. The Athletics and Yankees swapped infielders, with J.D. Davis heading to New York in late June of 2024. After the deal, Groshans was mildly better in the Oakland farm system, but not enough to really incite much hope for an impact in 2025.

Injuries have plagued Groshans throughout much of his professional career. His best season to date was 2019, a season that saw him slash .337/.427/.482, albeit only across 23 games. He mustered 75 games in 2021 with a still respectable 124 wRC+ for Toronto’s Double-A affiliate. A 31-game sample with the Miami Triple-A affiliate after the 2022 trade was the last time Groshans mustered any notable success. That summer, he slashed .301/.398/.416 and earned a Major League call-up. Across 17 MLB games, Groshans posted a 75 wRC+.

He’s been unable to return to the big leagues ever since, and his power potential seems all but gone. Groshans had just 19 extra-base hits in 2024 and has settled in with an average ISO under .100 over the last two seasons. He’ll now join the Royals farm system with hopes of getting back on track to some degree. He does have some youth on his side at just 25 years old. It’s not a bad reclamation project at a very low cost for Kansas City. It could also be yet another sign of a trade on the horizon for the Royals as rumors swirl that they’re in the market for a middle-of-the-lineup bat.