<\/p>\n
The midseason acquisition of Adam Frazier helped provide a spark <\/a>for the Kansas City Royals, who finished the first half of the season with a 47-50 record, and then went on to post a resurgent 35-30 mark down the stretch in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The veteran’s versatility and competence both in the field and at the plate helped keep the line moving for the Royals, no matter what position he was asked to play.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now with Frazier hitting free agency, the Royals will have to find a way to replace the versatility off the bench that they covet so dearly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back in 2024, Luis Rengifo was a top Royals’ trade deadline target<\/a>, and it was easy to see why. The switch-hitter batted .300\/.347\/.417 with six homers and 24 steals, capping a three-year run of above league-average performance with the bat. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are some downsides, however. While Rengifo can play second base and third base, as well as moonlight some in the outfield, he’s not a particularly good defender at any position. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Additionally, he long outperformed his peripherals, until 2025 when he slashed just .238\/.287\/.335. Kansas City might be able to be convinced that his bat will come around, but his subpar glove could stand in the way of a marriage between both sides.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A long-time AL Central foe, Willi Castro was on his way to another above-average season until he was dealt at the deadline to the Chicago Cubs. Prior to the trade, he slashed .245\/.335\/.407 with 10 homers with the Minnesota Twins, but he saw that crater to a .170\/.245\/.240 mark with one dinger as a member of the Cubs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s some thought that the infrequent playing time<\/a> he received with the Cubs contributed to his downturn, and Castro’s posting wRC+ numbers of 107 and 106 in 2023 and 2024, respectively, should alleviate concerns about his bat moving forward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Defensively, he’s a fine defender and truly versatile, logging time at every position but first base and catcher in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Long-time Baltimore Oriole Ramon Urias might be the best hitter with the most pop on this list. He hit a career-high 16 homers in 2022, owns a career ISO of .145, and a career wRC+ of 104, meaning you can likely count on him to hit a tick above league average when called upon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Like many others on this list, Urias is coming off a rough 2025, slashing .241\/.292\/.384 between his time in Baltimore and with the Houston Astros <\/a>after the trade deadline. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bat still likely plays well, but he lags behind some of the other options when it comes to defensive versatility. He’s never played a game in the outfield over the course of his big league career and hasn’t played shortstop since 2022. Instead, he’s primarily a third baseman with some reps at second and first as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez is another option the Royals know well from his time with the rival Detroit Tigers. In Detroit, Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez was more of a secondary utility player, taking a back seat to the likes of Zach McKinstry, Javier Baez, and Colt Keith in Detroit’s pecking order.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He’s more of a glove-first option, though when he did get increased playing time in 2023, he hit 11 homers and posted a 103 wRC+, giving some hope that he could also be productive with the bat if given semi-consistent playing time. <\/p>\n <\/p>\nThese four utility men could provide a big boost to the Royals’ bench<\/h2>\n
1. Luis Rengifo<\/h3>\n
2. Willi Castro<\/h3>\n
3. Ramon Urias<\/h3>\n
4. Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<\/h3>\n