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.
Hunter Renfroe Goes To The Royals On Two-Year Deal
Free-agent outfielder Hunter Renfroe agreed on a two-year, $13 million with the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Renfroe will have the ability to opt out of the deal (player option) after Year 1 at $6.5 million. The deal also includes incentives. Renfroe will add a veteran presence for a rebuilding Royals team and will have an everyday outfield role as he makes the move to the American League Central. The 31-year-old right-handed slugger spent 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds, slashing a disappointing .233/.297/.416 with 20 home runs, 31 doubles, 60 RBI and 60 runs scored in 140 total games. The 20 homers were the fewest he's had in a season in his eight-year big-league career. Renfroe should still provide decent power for KC and as outfield depth in fantasy leagues, but nobody should be banking on a return to the 30-homer plateau in 2024.
The Cincinnati Reds designated outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment on Monday and activated outfielder Stuart Fairchild (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. The Reds claimed Renfroe off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels last month, but he went just 5-for-39 (.128) with a home run, four RBI and four runs scored in 14 games for the Reds before they decided to go in another direction. With Harrison Bader (groin) also going on the injured list on Monday, the Reds are going to have more opportunities in their outfield down the stretch of the 2023 season. In 140 games overall for the Halos and Reds this year, Renfroe hit .233/.297/.416 with 20 home runs, 31 doubles, 60 RBI and 60 runs scored in 548 trips to the plate.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Hunter Renfroe (hamstring) has been scratched ahead of Tuesday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The 31-year-old slugger was pulled from the lineup due to left hamstring tightness. The organization believes the injury is day-to-day, so Renfroe shouldn't require a trip to the injured list. In his absence, Harrison Bader will cover center field and bat seventh versus right-hander Bryce Miller. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Renfroe sidelined.
The Cincinnati Reds on Thursday claimed outfielder Hunter Renfroe off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels, according to sources. The Reds are just a game out of the final wild-card spot in the National League, so they decided to add some outfield depth on Thursday by picking up both Renfroe and Harrison Bader. The 31-year-old Renfroe should be a lineup regular for Cincinnati the rest of the way, either in a corner-outfield spot or at designated hitter. In 126 games for the Angels in 2023, he's hit .242/.304/.434 with 19 home runs, 31 doubles, 56 RBI and 56 runs scored in 504 plate appearances. Will Benson and Nick Senzel will most likely move back to bench roles in Cincinnati for the final month of the regular season.
