Kansas City Royals sign former A's infielder

Jason Burke | Dec 4, 2024

Feb 24, 2024; Lakeland, Florida, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Jordan Groshans (84) catches a fly ball during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have signed infielder Jordan Groshans to a minor-league deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Groshans was at one point the No. 12 overall pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, but most recently a member of the Oakland A's organization.

The Royals have signed infielder Jordan Groshans to a minor-league deal, sources say. Groshans, a former top prospect, was the No. 12 pick by the Blue Jays in the 2018 draft.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 4, 2024

Selected by the Jays in 2018, he was then traded to the Miami Marlins for Zach Pop, Anthony Bass, and a player to be named later that ended up being Edward Duran. Groshans would make his big-league debut with the Marlins in 2022, getting into 17 games and going 16-for-65 (.262) with a 76 OPS+ (100 is league average).

He would stick with the Marlins until 2024, when the New York Yankees claimed him off waivers in February. He started the year out in Triple-A, batting .228 with a .302 OBP across 17 games, but was then demoted to Double-A Somerset.

It was at that time that the A's and Yankees made a trade, with the Athletics sending J.D. Davis to New York, and Groshans heading to the A's. They would assign him to Double-A Midland where he hit .239 with a .312 OBP and a .664 OPS in 51 games the rest of the way.

In his time in the minor leagues he has played primarily at shortstop and third base, though he has also notched some time at second and first. This past season, nearly all of his playing time came at the hot corner.

Now, Groshans likely isn't in the Roayls immediate plans, given the minor-league contract, but he is still just 25 years old and was at one point selected just outside of the top ten in the MLB Draft. As recently as 2022 MLB Pipeline had him ranked as a top-100 prospect in baseball at No. 80, and Baseball Prospectus was even higher on him at No. 60.

At the very least, this signing has the potential to add some depth for the Royals if it pans out, and with Groshans able to play numerous positions, he could be ready to fill in pretty much anywhere in a pinch.