The Royals announced Friday that infielder/outfielder Cavan Biggio has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to reliever Hunter Harvey, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Righty Jonathan Bowlan has been optioned to Triple-A.
Biggio, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the offseason. He cracked the Opening Day roster but hit just .174/.296/.246 in a part-time role. In late May, the Royals optioned him to the minors. As a veteran player with at least five years of big league service time, he can’t be optioned without his consent, so he presumably agreed to the move.
Since getting sent down, he’s been playing well for Triple-A Omaha, with a .285/.375/.464 line and 120 wRC+. However, he never got called back up, so it seems the Royals didn’t have him in their big league plans. He heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Royals could take as long as five days to explore trade interest.
Biggio had some early-career success thanks to a keen eye at the plate. However, it seems that pitchers realized they could attack him more without really being afraid of the consequences. In his 2019 debut season, he hit 16 home runs and drew walks at a 16.5% clip, helping him produce a .234/.364/.429 line and 115 wRC+. 49.8% of pitches he saw that year were in the zone. That number gradually ticked up closer to 60% over the years and he didn’t make pitchers pay. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has a .214/.323/.342 line and 90 wRC+.
He is at least capable of being a serviceable multi-positional guy. He has experience at every position on the diamond outside the battery, though he has just one inning at shortstop. His brief big league stint with the Royals didn’t go well but he seemed to bounce back in the minors, so perhaps he’ll garner interest from a club that needs some position player depth. With the trade deadline coming up, some clubs will be subtracting from their rosters and might look for veterans to fill in the gaps.
Photo courtesy of Brad Rempel, Imagn Images
Dodgers should claim him
Lol
Maybe after he spends a couple years in Japan and learns how to hit
He still has value to a team like the Yankees as a 5th OF and pinch runner. He will bounce around the league a bit more before going to Korea. Since he is the player he is having a father who is a member of the 3000 hit club I doubt he will ever learn how to hit. Maybe he should ask Jobu for some help.
Padres still need outfield help. Could be a fit.
Why do you want to help the Padres?
When did I say that?
When you said earlier that he could be a fit for the Padres
I never said he could help them.
If you need someone to keep his bat on his shoulders for 3-6 pitches boy do I got a guy for you
Yep. Too passive. The king of the backward K.
To be fair he seemed to have a longterm upper back/ neck injury (it was always taped). But pitchers adjusted to him and he could not adjust back.
Hoyer – We GOT Biggio!
Craig counsel – that’s Cavan Biggio
Would he be any worse than Brujan?
Been dining out on Dad for a while.
The noteworthy thing in this is that Hunter Harvey is back. Reportedly throwing up to 99 mph in his rehab assignment.
Please, you’re a little hasty
Mexican league or the Savannah Bananas?
Biggio is more of a Bananas guy, but I seriously doubt he’ll hit enough to stick even there.
Cavan needs to go to the Mexican Baseball League. I think the KBO or NPB are too high level for him right now.
Or the White Sox
@johnnynoitall
Burn! Biggio and the White Sox. The Pope is coming after you now.
Pale hose are too low a level for him right now.
At one point, like 5 years ago, Cavan looked like a solid everyday player, not flashy, not an all-star, but just solid. He had a great eye at the plate, didn’t strike out much, walked a lot and had decent power and was good defensibly.
For a while he was an everyday player in Toronto. But things just went downhill from there. Shame.
Had a serious injury and was never the same after that.
Toronto still roots for ya CB! Hope you latch on somewhere.
I’d still like to see Houston give him a chance. Maybe being back at his dad’s old stomping grounds in a clubhouse he grew up in would invigorate him
He stinks. The End.
With his excellent on base percentage from his ability to take walks
Tooooo the Oakland A’s!
Keep the money ball theory alive
He’d be lonely in Oakland, only player on the team
Come back to Buffalo.
He’s clearly not a big leaguer. With all the injuries the Astros have had maybe he could provide some depth. Maybe even get a couple AB’s for dad’s team before he hangs them up.
One hit wonder.