The Royals announced that outfielder Hunter Renfroe was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right thigh. Outfielder Tyler Gentry was called up from Triple-A Omaha to take Renfroe’s place on the active roster.
Renfroe was subbed out in the ninth inning of the Royals’ 11-2 loss to the Phillies yesterday, and the early exit didn’t seem unusual given the lopsided nature of the game. However, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including Anne Rogers of MLB.com) today that Renfroe has a mild hamstring strain, so the team placed him on the injured list as a precautionary measure. Bringing Gentry up front also allows the Royals to play at full strength during a busy stretch of the schedule – today is the third game in a 14-game in 13-day series for Kansas City, including tomorrow’s doubleheader with the Guardians.
This is the second time Renfroe has been on the IL this season, having previously missed just 10 games due to a bone bruise in his left foot in June. Since returning from that previous IL stint, Renfroe has hit a respectable .274/.351/.433 with six home runs in 185 batting appearances, which has helped him get back on track after a stone cold start in the first two months of the season. That rocky start is still dragging Renfroe’s overall numbers down, as he has a subpar 97 wRC+ off a .237/.312/.398 slash line in 372 PA.
Given how much better Renfroe has swung the bat over the past two months, the Royals cannot afford to lose their starting right fielder for an extended period of time as the club battles for a playoff spot. The left-handed hitter Adam Frazier has received the next highest playing time in right field to complement Renfroe’s right-hander, and KC could opt to Dairon Blanco more time with Frazier.
Gentry is also expected to make his first major league appearance. Gentry was selected by the Royals in the third round of the 2020 draft and has spent the last two seasons in Triple-A, where he posted a .254/.360/.424 batting average with 29 home runs and 19 steals (on 23 attempts) in 995 at-bats with Omaha. Kansas City signed him to the 40-man roster last November ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.
MLB Pipeline ranks the 25-year-old Gentry as the 15th-ranked Royals prospect. His throwing arm is a 60-degree throw, which has led him to spend most of his minor league career in right field. Gentry has had a tendency to hit better later in the season during his time in the minors, so he could be peaking at the right time for his exhibition debut, or he may of course need another adjustment period since this is his first time pitching in the major leagues. Gentry is considered more of a contact hitter than a power hitter, which doesn’t quite fit the profile of a hard-hitting corner outfield guy.
