Everyone on the Kansas City Royals has been in spring training for at least a week. The ballclub nevertheless made one more last-minute acquisition in spite of that.
If all goes according to plan, the Royals’ catching depth chart this season will appear to be among the simpler ones in the majors. But Kansas City has wisely added additional depth pieces because they are dealing with an older veteran and an inexperienced rookie.
The Royals revealed the signing of an additional depth player on Friday. Elias DÃaz, a 2023 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player and former San Diego Padres catcher, was signed by Kansas City to a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training.
What Elias DÃaz brings to the Royals
DÃaz is expected to join the big-league team sometime next week, according to the Royals. He will, at most, start the season ranked third on the depth chart, behind rookie top prospect Carter Jensen and captain Salvador Perez.
DÃaz is starting his age-35 season with the benefit of experience. The Royals would know they were giving the backup position to a seasoned veteran who has caught 758 major league games over the last 11 seasons if either Perez or Jensen were injured. He also likely has a little more offensive potential than the average backup.
After a dismal defensive season in 2023, DÃaz, an outstanding thrower, has produced positive fielding run value in each of the previous two seasons. Despite playing a very major position for the San Diego Padres previous season, he had a.607 OPS and nine home runs in 106 games, which caused his offense to plummet.
According to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, DÃaz might have been a necessary addition because Luke Maile, the Royals’ third-string player from the previous season, was removed from the spring training roster for personal reasons.
Other non-roster invitees at catcher for Kansas City are Omar Hernandez, Luca Tresh, and Jorge Alfaro.
