Kansas City Royals Add Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman Off Waivers Amid Playoff Push

Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, who were on opposite sides in the 2023 World Series, are set to join the Kansas City Royals after being let go by the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, respectively.

Aug 6, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham (29) hits a two run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Royals have claimed outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, respectively, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

Pham had been placed on waivers on Thursday, then designated for assignment by the Cardinals on Friday. Grossman also hit the waiver wire on Thursday, but the Rangers never designated him for assignment.

To make room for the pair of veterans on the active roster, Kansas City designated infielder CJ Alexander and catcher Austin Nola for assignment.

We have claimed OF Robbie Grossman off waivers from the Texas Rangers and OF Tommy Pham off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. We anticipate both players reporting tomorrow.

INF CJ Alexander and C Austin Nola have been designated for assignment.

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 31, 2024

Pham, 36, was batting .206 with two home runs, 12 RBI, a .653 OPS and a -0.1 WAR through 23 games in St. Louis. Prior to his reunion with the Cardinals, Pham hit .266 with five home runs, 19 RBI, a .710 OPS and a -0.3 WAR in 70 games with the Chicago White Sox.

Over the past four seasons, Pham has bounced around between the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, White Sox and Cardinals. He had previously been a reliable 20-20 standout with the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays between 2017 and 2019, but those days appear to be long gone.

Like Pham, Grossman also started the season on a minor league contract with the White Sox. He got called up on April 5 and appeared in 25 games before getting traded to the Rangers on May 8.

Grossman hit .211 with a .597 OPS in Chicago, compared to his .238 batting average and a .698 OPS in Texas. The soon-to-be 35-year-old won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023.

Before that, Grossman spent three seasons with the Houston Astros, three with the Minnesota Twins and two with the Oakland Athletics. He is now going to play for his fifth team in four years, having already suited up for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Rangers and White Sox.

Both Pham and Grossman have joined Kansas City one day before the Sept. 1 deadline for playoff roster eligibility.

Pham is a .313 hitter with an .846 OPS in his postseason career, putting up six home runs, 10 RBI and six stolen bases across 31 appearances. Grossman, on the other hand, has hit .149 with zero home runs, zero RBI, zero stolen bases and a .438 OPS in 17 career playoff games.

The Royals haven't locked up their playoff spot just yet, though, as they only have a 4.5-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race. They currently sit in the second AL Wild Card spot, 1.0 game ahead of the division rival Twins.

Pham and Grossman are likely to compete for playing time in the outfield and at designated hitter once the roster size expands to 28 players on Sunday.

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