Royals add recently DFA'd SF Giants corner bat to big-league roster

The Kansas City Royals added corner bat Matt Beaty to their big-league roster on Sunday. He was recently released by the SF Giants.

Marc Delucchi | Jun 19, 2023

Royals add recently DFA'd SF Giants corner bat to big-league roster /

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The Kansas City Royals added first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty to their 40-man roster on Sunday, recalling the corner bat from Triple-A Omaha. Kansas City shifted first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Beaty singled in his lone plate appearance on Sunday. The SF Giants actually acquired Beaty in a minor trade from the Royals for cash considerations earlier this year. However, he returned to the Royals on a minor league contract after San Francisco designated him for assignment.

SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (right) celebrates with fielder Matt Beaty (left) after scoring against the Detroit Tigers. (2023) — SF Giants hitters Matt Beaty (left) and LaMonte Wade Jr. (right) high-five. (2023) / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Beaty appeared in four games with the Giants, singling once in five trips to the plate with a pair of strikeouts. However, he spent the rest of his tenure in the organization at Triple-A Sacramento. While he did not receive a more prolonged big-league opportunity, Beaty was effective in the minors. With the Giants affiliate, beauty hit .272/.406/.447 with six doubles and four home runs in 30 games.

Beaty was drafted by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Belmont University. He reached the majors in 2019 and emerged as a key secondary contributor for the Dodgers from 2019-2021, hitting .262/.333/.425 with 24 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs in 556 plate appearances. A left-handed hitter, Beaty was primarily utilized as a platoon bat against right-handed pitching.

Following the 2021 campaign, the Padres eyed Beaty's bat and acquired him in a trade with their division rival for a pitching prospect. In San Diego, though, injuries limited Beaty's availability and seemed to hold back his productivity. He only had 47 plate appearances with the Padres before he was released, hitting .093/.170/.163.

With left-handed bats like LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson and Blake Sabol (Giants preseason #33 prospect) locked into roles, there was no clear path to playing time for Matt Beaty. So, the SF Giants designated him for assignment to create a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Luke Jackson. Now back with the Kansas City Royals, the five-year MLB veteran will look to rekindle his previous success in his first opportunity in the American League.

Published Jun 19, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).