The Royals announced that outfielder Bubba Thompson has been claimed off waivers by the Reds and that left-hander Taylor Hearn cleared waivers and elected free agency.
The Royals have been trying to trim down their roster before the offseason. Players on the 60-day injured list don’t take up a spot on the 40-man, but the IL goes away between the World Series and Spring Training, which can lead to a squeeze. Yesterday, they outrighted catcher Tyler Cropley and lost left-hander Tucker Davidson off waivers to the Orioles. Today’s moves clear a couple more spots but they are still slated to be at 41 once the offseason begins.
Thompson, 25, just came over to the Royals via a waiver claim in August, having previously spent his entire career with the Rangers. He’s a speed-and-defense specialist but his work at the plate isn’t quite as strong. He received 241 plate appearances with the Rangers over the past two seasons but hit just .242/.286/.305 in those. Between the Rangers and Royals organizations, he hit .259/.338/.395 in 302 Triple-A plate appearances this year, a line that translates to a wRC+ of 82. He has had some better results in past minor league seasons, but often with high strikeouts and few walks.
His speed does seem to be elite, however. He racks up double-digits steals with ease, including 31 last year between the majors and minors. On Statcast’s Sprint Speed leaderboard, he trailed only Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Witt Jr. in 2023. At worst, it seems like Thompson can serve as a speedy fourth outfielder, while any step forward at the plate would only increase his value. He is still optionable, meaning he can be sent to the minors to get regular reps if the Reds so choose.
Hearn, 29, also spent most of his career with the Rangers prior to 2023. He served as a solid swingman in Texas over 2021 and 2022 as the club wasn’t competitive. He tossed a combined 204 1/3 innings over those two campaigns with a 4.89 earned run average. He struggled in 2023, eventually going to Atlanta in a cash deal, then to Kansas City in exchange for infielder Nicky Lopez. He tossed 15 innings on the year between those three clubs with an ERA of 11.40 in that small sample.
The lefty has more than three years of service time, giving him the right to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. His rough 2023 results in the majors obviously limit his appeal, but he was much better in Triple-A. Between the Rangers and Royals, he tossed 54 innings at that level in 2023 with a 3.33 ERA and 30.9% strikeout rate, though the 13.4% walk rate is concerning.