The Royals announced Wednesday that outfielder Kameron Misner has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Nate Pearson, whose previously reported acquisition from the Astros has now been confirmed by the team.
Misner, 28, was the No. 35 overall draft pick by the Marlins back in 2018. He’s been traded twice, first going from Miami to Tampa Bay in exchange for Joey Wendle back in 2021 and more recently going from Tampa Bay to Kansas City in exchange for a player to be named later (eventually announced as minor league righty Matthew Hoskins).
Misner only appeared in 18 games and totaled 44 plate appearances with Kansas City this season. He hit .220/.256/.244 — numbers that line up with his career totals of .206/.259/.312 in a small sample of 276 MLB plate appearances.
It hasn’t been a good showing, but the lefty-swinging Misner has posted big numbers in Triple-A Omaha this year: .286/.378/.563 (135 wRC+). He’s popped 14 homers and swiped 14 bags while walking at a 12.6% clip against a 26.3% strikeout rate. That’s by far the best Triple-A output of his career. He’s played parts of three other seasons at the top minor league level and been a slightly above-average bat in each of them.
Misner is in the last of his three minor league option years. If another team claims him or scoops him up in a small trade, he can be sent to Triple-A for the balance of the season without needing to first pass through waivers. Beginning next spring, he’ll be out of minor league options and thus need to either stick on a big league roster or else be passed through waivers. With regard to his current DFA, Misner will be traded, placed on waivers or released within the next five days. The waiver process takes an additional 48 hours, meaning his period in DFA limbo can last up to a full week.
