Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton Returning To Kansas City
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe and relief pitcher Chris Stratton both had their 2025 club options exercised according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Renfroe had a down year in 2024 as he hit just 15 home runs, his lowest total in a full season throughout his career. He held a .229/.297/.392 slash line. Stratton served as a high-leverage reliever this past summer and posted a 5.55 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP with four saves and five holds. Fantasy managers should expect Renfroe to be deployed as a platoon option early on in right field with the opportunity to grow into a full-time role if he can get back on track. He could be worth a look as a late-option for power in deeper formats. Stratton should be in the mix to see a handful of save opportunities in 2025.
Hunter Renfroe Starting On Bench In Game 1 Of Wild-Card Series
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. With Renfroe riding pine, the Royals will roll with Tommy Pham in right field, and he will hit seventh against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. Renfroe's playing time in the postseason might be more spotty now that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) is back from the injured list to take over designated hitter duties, at least for the wild-card series. If the 32-year-old Renfroe does get into a game at any point during the series in Baltimore, it will likely come against a left-handed pitcher. In his first year with the Royals in 2024, Renfroe hit just .229/.297/.392 with a below-average .689 OPS, 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 120 games played. In 23 games with KC, Pham went 23-for-101 (.228) with two homers and eight RBI.
The Kansas City Royals reinstated outfielder Hunter Renfroe (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned right-hander Steven Cruz to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. The team also designated right-hander Dan Altavilla (oblique) for assignment. Renfroe, who is hitting just .237/.312/.398 with a .710 OPS, 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 334 at-bats for the Royals this year, will be a platoon bat for the Royals against left-handed pitchers, at best, upon his return after the addition of right-handed-hitting outfielder Tommy Pham. With Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) expected to miss the rest of the regular season, some of Renfroe's playing time could come at first base down the stretch. He has been out since late August with a strained right hamstring. He went 8-for-21 (.381) with a homer and three RBI in six games before landing on the IL, so KC will be hoping he can pick up where he left off.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe (hamstring) hit on the field with the team before the game on Monday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium and also ran the bases. The Royals need to decide whether to send Renfroe on a minor-league rehab assignment, but either way, he could be back by this weekend. Renfroe strained his right hamstring while running in the outfield on Aug. 24 and was placed on the 10-day injured list a day later. The Royals were hopeful it wasn't going to be a long stint on the IL. The 32-year-old veteran slugger doesn't offer much upside anywhere for fantasy managers in mixed leagues, but he could see regular playing time at first base when he returns now that Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) is out for the rest of the regular season. Renfroe will return to a weak .237/.312/.398 slash line with 12 homers and 47 RBI in his 334 at-bats in 2024.
The Kansas City Royals reinstated outfielder Hunter Renfroe (toe) from the injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Austin Nola to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Renfroe spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list while dealing with a bruised toe. The 32-year-old veteran slugger should be back in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Twins in Minnesota. Fantasy baseball managers in deeper leagues will be hoping he can pick up where he left off prior to his toe injury, as Renfroe had gone 7-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBI in six games before landing on the IL. Overall, though, Renfroe has mostly struggled in 2024, batting an even .200 (34-for-170) with only six home runs, 26 RBI and 22 runs scored for the Royals.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will head to the bench for Wednesday's contest as the Royals go for the sweep against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series finale. Renfroe has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer and five RBI in his last seven games since May 12, but overall he's been bad this year with a .160/.236/.282 slash line with four home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored in 144 plate appearances over 43 games played in his first year in KC. With Renfroe on the bench, Dairon Blanco is getting the start in right field and will bat seventh against Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Blanco has three hits and two RBI in six career at-bats against Skubal. The 31-year-old Cuban outfielder has been useful for his speed this year in AL-only leagues, as he has 11 thefts in just 44 at-bats in 2024.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will retreat to the bench on Wednesday as the team faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Adam Frazier will get the nod in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Renfroe has gone 1-for-12 in the last four games to drop his season line to a weak .150/.218/.268 in 80 at-bats. The 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger has added just two home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored for the Royals and could lose playing time moving forward unless he turns it around soon. Frazier hasn't been much better at all, though, and should be avoided in DFS formats on Wednesday. The left-handed batter is hitting .185 (12-for-65) with no homers, five RBI and one stolen base.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe finds himself on the bench again on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. This will be the second straight game that Renfroe will be starting on the bench. In his absence, the left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier will make the start in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. The 32-year-old Renfroe has hit just .149 (10-for-67) with two home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and 16 strikeouts in his first 72 plate appearances in 2024 and is quickly losing playing time in Kansas City's outfield rotation. Frazier, also 32, hasn't been much better, going 11-for-55 (.200) with no homers, four RBI and one stolen base in 22 games. He's never faced Olson in his career.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe went 1-for-3 with a walk and hit his first home run of spring training on Friday in an 11-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. The home run was a welcome development for the 32-year-old veteran, who's having a very underwhelming spring after dealing with lower back tightness in February. He's hitting .179 with a .589 OPS in 28 AB this spring. He'll look to improve on a subpar 2023 season, and ATC projects a .244/.306/.437 slash line with 20 HR and 62 RBI. With an ADP of 232.3, Renfroe will likely only be a depth option for managers and is a starting option in deep-league and AL-Only formats.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe (back) has been dealing with some lower-back tightness in camp, according to manager Matt Quatraro, which is why he hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game yet. Renfroe will take part in the team's workout on Monday, though, and he's scheduled to make his spring training debut on Wednesday. Quatraro said there is no concern about Renfroe's availability. The 32-year-old right-handed-hitting veteran should be fine for Opening Day in late March and is projected to serve as Kansas City's starting right fielder in 2024 after signing a two-year deal with the club in free agency in the offseason. Renfroe didn't square the ball up often in 2023 despite managing to hit 20 home runs in 140 games. Outside of being a decent source of power, Renfroe shouldn't excite fantasy managers all that much in mixed leagues at this stage.
Chris Stratton
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Royals
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