August 21: Canha has officially been released, according to the MLB.com transaction log.
August 18: The Royals announced today that outfielder Mark Canha, who was on the 10-day injured list, has been returned from his rehab assignment and designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops from 39 to 38.
Canha, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in the offseason. He had a looming opt-out date just before Opening Day but the Brewers evidently weren’t willing to give him a roster spot. They flipped Canha for a player to be named later or cash. The Royals gave him a roster spot to prevent him from opting out and later announced minor league righty Cesar Espinal as the PTBNL.
The deal hasn’t worked out for the Royals. Canha has twice gone on the IL, once for a left adductor strain and more recently due to left elbow epicondylitis. Around those IL stints, he stepped to the plate 125 times but produced a dismal .212/.272/.265 line.
The club’s outfield performed quite poorly throughout the first half of the season, with Canha’s production just part of the picture. His most recent IL stint began in early July. While he was on the shelf, a lot changed, with the Royals trading for Adam Frazier, Mike Yastrzemski and Randal Grichuk. Canha started a rehab assignment a little over a week ago. However, with the new additions to the roster, they have decided they don’t have room for him anymore.
He now heads into DFA limbo. With the trade deadline having passed, he’ll be placed on waivers. Given his performance and $1.4MM salary this year, it seems unlikely any club would claim him. If he clears, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and keep that money coming to him. It’s possible the Royals skip that formality and simply release him.
If he ends up on the open market, either by rejecting an outright assignment or being released, the Royals will remain on the hook for that money. At that point, another club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated $760K league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Royals pay.
Canha has plenty of good seasons on his track record and was a solid player as recently as last year. He split 2024 between the Tigers and Giants, slashing .242/.344/.346 for a 102 wRC+. He also stole seven bases and played all four corner spots. He hasn’t been at that level in 2025 but perhaps there’s a club out there who will focus more on the larger body of work.
Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images
Guess they determined he Cantha cut it anymore. Had a pretty productive career.
Woke Mark can finally rest
I’m disappointed you gave up on David Fletcher. You guys had a good thing going.
The people I like to mess with started blocking me as soon as I made a new account and it stopped being fun. But maybe one day Fletch and I will get back together…
I expected more from Canha this season, as the Royals did when they signed him.
They traded for him. I thought he was capable of more but didn’t expect it. At that age you can’t expect anything. It’s just he was absolutely free minor league deal so it doesn’t matter if he works out or not. Unless you make the mistake of just signing him as the guy. I wanted pirates to sign him or trade for him. Would have worked out perfect. Horwitz missed March April and Canha had .350 average 800 ops March April.
Thanks for the correction. I didn’t remember that it was a trade.
It was indeed a Gamble, Oscar.
No place for him in KC, particularly after the Grichuk trade.
And Jac will be coming back eventually from his rehab assignment
Next year yes, but they would be stupid to bring him back before then
Off to a team that doesn’t value rbis?
Value this (farts into keyboard)
If this is it for him in his career, he can say that his last hit was a home run. Productive and versatile in his career.
One of the few Rule 5 selections to actually make it in the ML’s.
Clemente
Johan Santana
Isaac Collins
There’s more.
A few great ones,but % wise there are very few that stick.
It must be depressing to work hard to come back from an injury, slogging thru minor league rehab hell, only to be taken off the injured list and then unceremoniously kicked to the curb with your walking papers.
Mark will definitely be signed by someone if not claimed on waivers. Plays multiple positions well, can still hit, good aditude, affordable. I think the Yankees might have some interest.
And where exactly would they play him…….and they’d be much better off playing the assets they have.
Those -$100,000 checks he’ll still be collecting every two weeks for a couple more months probably help.
It’s a business and you shake it off. You can’t last as long as Canha did in the big leagues without thick skin and perseverance.
I can ha understand this move.
It’s funny how even though he had an awful first few months in Pittsburgh, Pham has actually been a better player than some of the ones me and others were hoping for, like Cahna Verdugo, and Grichuk. Even did better than others like Santander, Carlson, Lane Thomas, Conforto ,and Kepler. Shows that if you can’t develop your own guys, you’re cooked.
Tommy Pham having a slightly better season for his non-playoff team than Grichuk is having for the two .500ish teams he’s played for this season shows that if you can’t develop your own guys, you’re cooked? How exactly??
Because a lot of these guys wouldn’t accept the Pirates money and that shows the quality of players you can expect to get in free agency. People simply think it’s easy to up the payroll 20M and suddenly have a good offense. There’s a reason a lot of these guys are available. Almost best served continuing to load up on pitching depth and make more trades for bats.
Royals have been trying for years to assemble a competent outfield and it’s actually gotten worse.
Pirates season was finished in April so doesn’t matter. If they signed Grichuk Hays Tauchman not all 3 but any of the 2 the season would have been a different story. Canha .350 average 800 ops in March April would have been perfect until Horowitz was healthy. Maybe the call up Bubba sooner. Or trade prospects for a hitting prospect that is ready. If they fired Shelton things would really been different. Still no playoffs or even 500 but it wouldn’t be a train wreck. But yeah once the season was over Pham been good.
Hole- Almost all Pirates posters were really down on Pham for the first few months.I don’t like to do that unless the player does not seem to be trying.He has been a good left fielder all year and although the slump lasted a long time he came back extremely well which was also unforeseen.
Yes,he is taking at bats from younger players but may be a candidate to be signed next year also.
I was surprised that the Phillies did not give up a decent young player like Weston Wilson for example to switch places.
🎶 Canha get a witness! 🎶
How can one Chandra be so Levy?!?
“He also stole seven bases and played all four corner spots”
All 4? 1B and 3B and LF and RF? I guess one inning at 3B for the Giants over an entire season counts. Never mind.
Canha became a dead man walking after the YAZ Jr acquisition
He appears to be a months service time from a full pension. Probably motivated to get the 10 years in.
Maybe a reunion with the Mets? Winkler still on the IL and the current OF is lefty heavy with Nimmo, Cedric and Soto. Marte is their only reliable bat off the bench who is RH and they haven’t used him much lately. Plus, Marte really can’t play the field more than two days in a row. before he needs an ice bath. Mauricio has cooled off and Vientos just hasn’t found it in 2025. JMHO, but Canha probably a better use of a bench spot than Taylor who hasn’t hit at all this year.
Um. Ew.
Canha? More like Cannot. Amirite?
Amirite? More like ham at nite. Am I right? Like when you’re a child and your parents throw ham you while you’re sleeping because you got less than 90% on your spelling test.
The best. Five star
Laughter in a can
Prince Albert in a can
A rule 5 guy who made good. Happy Trails, Mark!