Drew Waters Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 2" / 185 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 12/30/1998 (24)
- Experience
- 1
- College
- None
Drew Waters Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Drew Waters News
The Kansas City Royals reinstated outfield prospect Drew Waters (back, oblique) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Waters is starting in center field and batting ninth on Friday against Washington Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin in his 2023 debut. The 24-year-old is the team's No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he hit .327 with two home runs and two steals in 13 minor-league rehab games for Omaha before being activated. In his first 32 big-league games in 2022, Waters hit .240 (23-for-96) with six doubles, a triple, five home runs and 18 RBI. KC figures to give him regular playing time in center field moving forward, so he's worth a waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed leagues if you need more outfield help.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Drew Waters (oblique) will reportedly be out six weeks with a left oblique strain, per a tweet from MLB.com's Anne Rogers on Tuesday. Acquired last July via a trade with Atlanta, Waters hit .240 with a .324 on-base percentage and five home runs in 109 plate appearances in the majors for Kansas City last season. The former second-round pick in 2017 also batted .269 with a .345 on-base percentage, 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 324 minor-league plate appearances last season.
The Kansas City Royals recalled outfield prospect Drew Waters from Triple-A Omaha on Monday and optioned outfielder Nate Eaton in a corresponding move. Waters will make his major league debut on Monday and will start in right field and bat ninth against Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech. The 23-year-old is the Royals' No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in July. In 31 games for Omaha, he hit .295/.399/.541 with a .940 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI, 29 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Waters is a switch-hitter with plenty of raw power, but he does have some swing and miss to his game, although he made strides to cut down on his strikeout rate the last two years. He should at least be in the short side of a platoon in the outfield in KC in his first taste of the big leagues.
Batting Order
| 1 | Maikel Garcia |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. |
| 3 | Salvador Perez |
| 4 | MJ Melendez |
| 5 | Edward Olivares |
| 6 | Michael Massey |
| 7 | Dairon Blanco |
| 8 | Nick Pratto |
| 9 | Matt Duffy |
Drew Waters Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Maikel Garcia |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. |
| 3 | Salvador Perez |
| 4 | MJ Melendez |
| 5 | Edward Olivares |
| 6 | Michael Massey |
| 7 | Dairon Blanco |
| 8 | Nick Pratto |
| 9 | Matt Duffy |
It feels like we've been waiting for ages for Drew Waters to be a fantasy viable outfielder and 2023 is set to be that year. The Braves traded Waters (among others) to the Royals in a package for a draft pick and he performed well enough at Triple-A to get called up to the Royals. In 32 games, Waters hit .240/.324/.479 with five homers, 18 RBI, 14 runs and no steals. The lack of steals was a slight surprise given he tallied 18 in 80 games (for both organizations) at Triple-A before his call-up and 28 in 103 games in 2021. Waters is set to be the Royals starting center fielder this year and with limited alternative options, he should be able to work through any early-season struggles he might have. While the strikeouts have been a problem (283 Ks in 209 games at Triple-A), Waters has shown a penchant for getting on base with a .254/.335/.407 slash line at that level. His projections have Waters reaching double-digits in homers and stolen bases while hitting ~.240 (~120 games) which is a solid return for someone with an ADP of 545. In deeper leagues, Waters makes a nice bench option as a late-round pick.
