The Kansas City Royals had a fantastic left side of the infield this season, and it’s worth remembering a time when that wasn’t the case.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia were one of only two tandems of shortstop and third baseman to make the All-Star team from the same big-league club this year. The other was the Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes and Jeremy Peña.
Third base, in particular, was a rotating cast of characters for several years until Garcia steadied things this season. And one of the Royals’ former third-base solutions just hit the open market after a dismal season.
On Monday, former Royals 19th-round draft pick and starting third baseman Emmanuel Rivera elected free agency after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster for the Baltimore Orioles. The fifth-year veteran appeared in 42 games for Baltimore this season.
Rivera played 92 games for the Royals in 2021 and 2022 before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks that second summer. He was traded for pitcher Luke Weaver, now a reliever with the New York Yankees after a similar journeyman arc as a starter.
The stint in Arizona resulted in a trip to the 2023 World Series for Rivera, who has become a backup corner infielder on the teams he’s played for since leaving KC. He was traded to the Miami Marlins before the 2024 season for cash considerations, then was designated for assignment and picked up by Baltimore.
The Orioles wound up DFA’ing Rivera three times in a calendar year, making it a relatively easy decision for the 29-year-old to seek opportunities elsewhere for the coming season.
After putting up a .250/.291/.283 slash line, it’s hard to imagine any clubs taking a shot at a major league deal for Rivera. He’ll get an invitation to spring training somewhere with a bit of luck.
As for the Royals, it doesn’t seem as though a Rivera reunion is in the cards, and that’s a positive reflection on how far the roster has come in the last three years.
More MLB: Why Tigers’ Three-Time All-Star Is Perfect Free-Agent Fit For Royals
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