The Royals used Thursday’s roster expansion to bring Drew Waters back into the fold, selecting the outfielder’s contract as active rosters moved from 26 to 28. Kansas City also had an extra opening after right-hander John Schreiber was claimed off waivers by the Yankees yesterday, and the club filled the rest of those spots by recalling right-handers Nolan Hoffman and Easton McGee.
Waters, now 27, is a familiar name in Kansas City. He played for the Royals from 2022 through 2025 and carved out a profile as a glove-first outfielder who never really found his footing at the plate.
Across 684 plate appearances over those four seasons, he hit 14 home runs, posted a 7.6% walk rate and struck out in 31.1% of his trips to the plate. That all added up to a .234/.300/.369 slash line and an 84 wRC+.
His defense has been the stronger side of the package. In 1,528 1/3 innings in the outfield, Waters was charged with two Outs Above Average.
Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at minus-three overall, but that number looks a little less harsh once you split it up. He was positive in the corners and took a minus-six DRS hit in center field, though even that center-field mark is somewhat softened by a minus-four showing in just 89 innings during his 2022 debut.
Since then, in more than 500 innings, he has been only slightly below average.
Waters also used up his final option year in 2025, which left him without options heading into 2026. Kansas City designated him for assignment at the end of camp, he cleared waivers, and that sent him to Triple-A Omaha for the season so far.
The bat has not taken a big step forward there either. His .251/.312/.420 line can look serviceable at first glance, but it comes with an 85 wRC+, meaning he has been 15% below league average.
That line is helped along by a fairly high .314 batting average on balls in play.
For now, the Royals appear set to use Waters as a bench piece and depth outfielder, someone available for late-game defense or pinch-running as they finish out the year. There is also a chance he gets pushed off the roster again in the offseason.
In Other News...
Royals Just Lost A Bullpen Piece They Planned To Build Around
Carlos Estvezs season is over before it really got going, and the Royals are now bracing for the reality that his time in Kansas City may be finished, too. The right-hander is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery next week after a frustrating run of injuries wiped out his season and kept him from delivering the kind of bullpen help the Royals envisioned when they brought him in.
Estvez had not pitched since March, first dealing with a left foot contusion before a right rotator cuff strain added to the setback, and his velocity never fully came back during rehab. While the club moved ahead with its September roster additions by bringing up relievers Easton McGee and Nolan Hoffman along with outfielder Drew Waters, the loss of a bullpen arm they had planned to build around leaves another hole to manage as the season winds down. [Read more 🡒]
Jac Caglianone Is Forcing A Big Royals Question
Jac Caglianones rise has become one of the more important developments in Kansas Citys season. After struggling through 2025 and the early part of 2026, he caught fire in June, when he mashed nine home runs and posted a 1.036 OPS, enough to earn a spot in the leagues Home Run Derby and remind everyone why his bat has been so closely watched.
By late August, the numbers had backed up the breakout, with 23 home runs and an .832 OPS on the season. The bigger intrigue for the Royals is what comes next, because the improved plate discipline and elite exit velocity suggest this isnt just a hot stretch but a possible long-term answer in the middle of their lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Need A New Late-Inning Answer Again
Carlos Estvezs season has taken a sharp turn for the Royals, and with it so has the late-inning picture in Kansas City. The right-hander has been dealing with a left-foot contusion and a rotator-cuff strain, and the diminished velocity that followed has left the club searching for stability in the ninth inning while it keeps sorting through bullpen options.
The Royals said Estvez will undergo exploratory shoulder surgery on September 8, a development that brings a longer-term concern to a role the team has already had to patch together more than once. For a club trying to piece together the back end of games, the focus now shifts from one closer answer to finding the next workable one for the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]