Royals Trade for Rays Outfielder Kameron Misner

The first few days of the 2025-26 MLB offseason have been very quiet. Kansas City broke the spell with a small trade on November 10, as the Royals acquired recently-DFA’d outfielder Kameron Misner from the Rays. Misner had a great early-season stretch for the Rays before cooling off significantly.

Misner traded to Royals

The Rays gave Kameron Misner his first look at MLB action late in 2024, giving the now-27-year-old his first experience in “The Show” five years after he was a first-round pick. Misner received regular playing action in the first part of 2025 before he slid back down the depth chart.

Misner, initially acquired in 2021 from the Marlins for Joey Wendle, starred with the University of Missouri Tigers in college but struggled mightily with strikeouts. That carried over as a pro. Just two years ago, Misner struck out 186 times over 130 contests with Triple-A Durham.

Over the first month of 2025, Misner performed very well. Through April 30, Misner slashed .320/.369/.560 with three home runs and 11 extra-base hits across 26 contests. His .390 wOBA ranked in the top 30 of MLB during that span (min. 75 PA).

However, he batted sub-.200 in May and June and was eventually demoted back to Triple-A Durham.

The left-handed Misner, as one would expect, is a high swing-and-miss hitter. Misner’s swing, on average, is slightly longer than the league average.

However, the tools have been what’s kept Misner a relevant figure. The bat speed is high, and Misner has good speed and range for the outfield.

Tampa DFA’d Misner, along with others, earlier this month.

The Royals will take a low-risk shot on Misner. Kansas City didn’t receive an exceptional amount of offensive production from its outfield. In fact, arguably their most productive outfielder, Mike Yastrzemski, was only with the team for two months but hit nine home runs as a Royal.

Tampa Bay will receive either cash or a player to be named later.

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