The Royals have designated 1B/DH Lucas Duda for assignment and recalled 1B Ryan O’Hearn in his place, the team reports.
Duda, 33, produced in volume for the Mets clubs of the mid- and early-decade, but has fallen on hard times since a 2017 trade to the Rays. In 119 plate appearances for Kansas City this season, the lefty slashed a putrid .171/.252/.324 (47 wRC+) and appeared in just 19 games at first base. His long track record of righty-mashing will be hard for certain clubs to ignore, but it’s possible this is the end of the line for Duda, who’s cracked 156 MLB homers thus far.
Following an out-of-nowhere 2018, in which O’Hearn posted a 153 wRC+ in limited action despite an uneven-at-best minor-league track record, the 26-year-old has fallen back to earth in ’19, slashing a mere .186/.286/.333 in near-full-time action at the season’s outset. He’ll likely again be in line for at least semi-regular at-bats for a club that’s long since fallen out of the race.
About time. That guy has been terrible for well over a year now. I can’t believe anyone picked him up. I guess KC did just because he had played there before.
If you’re cut by the Royals (or Orioles), you’re done.
Keon Broxton is alive and well though in Seattle.
Duda is a World Series legend in KC
So much so they paid him $1.25M to be a statue in the field for 39 games a few years later, lol
Yea bro that throw home was epic . Worth every dollar they threw at him. 1.25 mil. You act like that is big money in sports lmao
As crazy as it seems, a part of me had always thought in the back of my head that it was gratefulness for that throw that caused Dayton to sign Duda… Twice.
Couldn’t they just make him a coach in the minors instead?
Lol David. So true. They sign these guys hoping they have a good half season so they can flip them for something. They need to tank better like the Astros did
the astros are a large market team that won’t have to tank again for at least 5 years. there is no comparison. plus tanking does little to help young players develop.
You gotta have the you g players to develop and our farm system blows right now
Glad to see O Hearn back, but I like Cuthbert at 1st O Hearn is in line up tonight
DH.
Lol. I had no idea Lucas Duda was still playing.
Apparently he wasn’t
De Camptown Lady???
All the Du Da Day
When we signed Duda last year, I had this vision of Salvy convincing the DJ to replace Duda’s walk up song with “Camptown ladies”. Alas it didn’t happen we trade him to Atlanta and I thought we had said goodbye for ever and I was happy. Then Dayton falls for Duda’s Darkside trick & Signed him again. Just like the question about how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world may never know why Dayton really signed him.
Finally. Glad to see O’hearn getting more playing time in the majors. Hopefully he sticks around this time
Were they ever in the race?
LOL. I say this as a Royals
and Rangers fan…..