Royals' Drew Waters: Going through defensive drills
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Waters (oblique) will participate in team defensive drills Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Waters has not yet been cleared to swing a bat, but he's making progress with his left oblique strain. The former Atlanta prospect might have been the Royals' Opening Day center fielder had he been healthy, but he's expected to be sidelined for at least the first few weeks of the season.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Out six weeks with oblique strain
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Waters will be sidelined for six weeks after being diagnosed with a left oblique strain, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Waters suffered the injury a few days ago and tests confirmed that he has a strain. He had been slated to compete for the Opening Day center field job, but now Kyle Isbel is in the driver's seat for that assignment. It should open up more corner outfield chances for Nate Eaton, Edward Olivares and Samad Taylor.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Tweaks oblique
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Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that Waters will be re-evaluated in a few days after recently tweaking an oblique muscle, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Even if Waters is merely dealing with a mild oblique strain, the injury is typically more than a day-to-day concern, so the switch-hitting outfielder will most likely be sidelined for at least a handful of Cactus League games. Though the Royals' uninspiring depth chart in the outfield presents a strong opportunity for Waters to break camp with an everyday role, the 24-year-old's oblique injury could be something that costs him enough time to solidify a starting spot.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Drives in four runs
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Waters went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Monday's 5-2 win over Cleveland.
Waters opened the game's scoring with an RBI single in the second inning before belting the go-ahead, three-run shot in the 10th. The rookie outfielder has gotten hot down the stretch; he's gone deep four times while hitting .394 (13-for-33) over his last 10 games. Waters is slashing .261/.350/.523 through 30 games and is making a good impression for the 2023 campaign.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Earns playing time to close season
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Waters will start in left field and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Guardians.
He'll be picking up his fourth straight start in the outfield after going 4-for-11 with two home runs and a double over the weekend. As a result of Waters' surge, Edward Olivares has been moved out of the outfield and is seeing more playing time as the Royals' designated hitter, resulting in Hunter Dozier being squeezed out of the lineup more frequently.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Homers again Saturday
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Waters went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Guardians.
Waters went deep for the second straight game, lifting a solo shot in the sixth inning to give the Royals a 5-0 lead. The 23-year-old outfielder is up to four homers, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored, six doubles and a triple while slashing .250/.341/.500 through 28 contests. While he doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role, he's been able to fill in regularly at all three outfield positions to get playing time down the stretch.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Pops homer in loss
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Waters went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Guardians.
Waters opened the scoring with his blast in the third inning. The outfielder has homered in two of his last six games, though he's seen his playing time slip with Edward Olivares back from the injured list after a two-month absence. Waters is up to a .237/.333/.447 slash line with three homers, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, five doubles and a triple through his first 27 major-league contests.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Three-hit effort in loss
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Waters went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Mariners.
Waters' triple was the first of his major-league career after he hit 26 of them across five minor-league seasons. He's slipped into a part-time role since Edward Olivares returned from the injured list, but Waters is 6-for-11 with three extra-base hits and three RBI in his last three games. The rookie outfielder is slashing .242/.324/.439 with two home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs scored across 74 plate appearances. He has yet to attempt a stolen base in the majors.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Tallies second career homer
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Waters went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday against the Twins.
Waters was in the lineup for only the second time in the team's last six games. However, he took advantage of his opportunity Thursday by taking Josh Winder deep in the fifth inning for his second career home run. Across his first 71 career plate appearances, Waters has hit only .210 with a 33.8 percent strikeout rate.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Fades into reserve role
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Waters is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
After overcoming an ankle injury to return to the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Waters will now head to the bench for the second straight game. While holding down a near-everyday role for the better part of the past month, the rookie has slashed .203/.299/.339 in 67 plate appearances. He now looks set to lose playing time with Edward Olivares back from an extended stint on the injured list.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Back in action Sunday
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Waters (ankle) is starting in center field and hitting eighth Sunday against the Red Sox.
He dealt with a sore ankle earlier this week, but it was apparently a minor issue. Waters is 5-for-32 (.156 AVG) with 14 strikeouts (38.9 K%) in 13 games this month.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Scratched from lineup
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Waters was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against Boston for undisclosed reasons.
It's not clear if an injury or illness is the reason for a change of plans, or if the Royals simply elected to go with a different starting nine. Hunter Dozier will enter the lineup in Waters' place, starting in left field and pushing Nate Eaton to right.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Dealing with sore ankle
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Waters was scratched Friday against Boston with a sore ankle, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Waters was reportedly moving around fine during batting practice, and his initial diagnosis doesn't suggest a long-term absence is coming. Hunter Dozier entered the lineup in his absence.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Clubs first big-league homer
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Waters went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Guardians.
Waters hit his first major-league homer off Triston McKenzie in the fifth inning. Entering Monday, Waters had gone 0-for-8 with a walk and three strikeouts across his last three games. He's still seeing fairly regular playing time in right field, though Hunter Dozier and Nate Eaton have also seen some time at that position. Through his first 13 contests, Waters is slashing .237/.326/.395 with five RBI, six runs scored and three doubles.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Sits after six straight starts
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Waters is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
For the first time since getting called up from Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 22, Waters will head to the bench while Hunter Dozier spells him in the outfield. Over his first six big-league starts, Waters has gone 5-for-19 with a double, four walks, four runs and three RBI. He should be able to hold down a near-everyday role in the Kansas City outfield until Vinnie Pasquantino (shoulder) is ready to return from the injured list.
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Royals' Drew Waters: On base four times in win
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Waters went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 15-7 win over the Padres.
Waters checked off a number of career firsts Sunday, including first extra-base hit, multi-RBI game, multi-run game and multi-walk effort. He's gone 5-for-19 (.263) through his first six contests in the majors, adding three RBI and four runs scored. As expected, the 23-year-old has found steady work in the outfield, starting six straight games -- five of which have come in right field.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Seeing steady run in outfield
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Waters will start in right field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Padres.
From a playing-time perspective, Waters has been the primary beneficiary of Vinnie Pasquantino's (shoulder) recent move to the injured list. With Hunter Dozier receiving more work in the infield of late as a result of Pasquantino's absence at first base/designated hitter, Waters has a clearer path to regular work in the outfield. He'll be making his sixth consecutive start Sunday after going 3-for-16 with two runs and an RBI through his first five big-league games.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Supplies game-winning RBI in debut
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Waters went 0-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a strikeout in Monday's 6-4 win over the White Sox.
Waters wasn't able to get a hit in his major-league debut, but he still made a key contribution. He drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Royals held on for the win. The 23-year-old is expected to cycle throughout the three outfield spots in an extended look in the majors after Nate Eaton was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Monday. Waters slashed .269/.345/.460 with 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases, 35 RBI and 60 runs scored in 82 minor-league games this year between the Atlanta and Kansas City systems before his call-up.
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Royals' Drew Waters: Arrives in majors
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The Royals recalled Waters from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. He'll start in right field and bat ninth in Monday's game against the White Sox.
Waters, whom Kansas City acquired from Atlanta in July, will reach the big leagues for the first time in his career. After reporting to Omaha following the trade, Waters hit .295 with seven homers, 17 RBI, 29 runs and 13 stolen bases over 31 games. The 23-year-old hits from both sides of the plate and could serve as a short-side platoon option in the Kansas City outfield, if manager Mike Matheny isn't immediately willing to give Waters a look in an everyday role. Nate Eaton was optioned to Omaha in a corresponding move.
