Nate Eaton and Austin Cox headline a list of thirteen Royals minor leaguers who became free agents this week. Minor league free agency is available to any player with six years in the minors who is not on the 40-man roster.
Eaton played 72 games for the Royals from 2022-23 as a utility player with good speed and a great arm, but he hit just .201/.266/.283 in that time. The 27-year old spent all of this season in Omaha and hit .252/.299/.439 with 16 home runs and 27 steals for the Storm Chasers.
Cox pitched for the Royals in 2023 and set a MLB record by not allowing a hit to the first 39 batters he faced in the big leagues. He posted a 4.54 ERA in 35 2⁄3 innings, but tore his ACL late in the year, ending his season early. The 27-year-old lefty was signed to a minor league deal this year and posted a 4.08 ERA for Omaha with 56 strikeouts in 53 innings, but with 6.3 walks-per-nine-innings.
Other Royals minor leaguers that became minor league free agents:
Devin Mann was an infielder acquired from the Dodgers in the Ryan Yarbrough trade in 2023. He hit .257/.358/.420 with 13 home runs as a first and second baseman.
Ryan Fitzgerald was acquired in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft last year from the Red Sox. The 30-year-old infielder hit .244/.336/.418 with 14 home runs for Omaha.
Josh Lester is a journeyman first and third baseman who has some MLB experience with the Tigers and Orioles. The 30-year-old hit .263/.329/.459 with 18 home runs in Double-A.
Leonel Valera was signed as a free agent last year after being let go by the Nationals. A former prospect with the Dodgers, the shortstop hit .242/.280/.330 in 83 games for Northwest Arkansas at age 24.
Diego Hernandez is an outfielder who was once a top 30 prospect with blazing speed. He dislocated his shoulder in spring training in 2023 and the 23-year-old hit just .240/.271/.353 with just five steals in Northwest Arkansas
Rodolfo Duran is a journeyman Triple-A catcher signed to a minor league deal this year. The 26-year-old hit .282/.323/.468 with 11 home runs in time split between Double-A and Triple-A.
Enmanuel Pire is a 23-year-old catcher who never got higher than Low-A ball. The Venezuelan hit .288/.409/.329 in 28 games for the Royals’ Arizona Complex League team this year.
Ricky Karcher was signed by the Royals this summer after the Diamondbacks let him go. He pitched an inning in the big leagues in 2023, but the 27-year-old right-hander had a 7.49 ERA with 39 walks in 33 2⁄3 innings in the minors this year.
Dinelson Lamet has pitched in 121 MLB games over parts of the last seven seasons with the Padres, Rockies, Red Sox, and Dodgers. The 32-year-old right-hander was let go by LA after three games this year and signed with the Royals, posting a 4.81 ERA in 86 innings in Triple-A.
Rylan Kaufman was a 12th-round pick in 2018, but the lefty has battled injuries the past two seasons, pitching just one game this year.
Keylan Killgore is a Wichita native and former Wichita State Shocker pitcher that was selected by the Royals in the minor league Rule 5 draft last winter. The 28-year-old lefty had a 5.60 ERA in 53 innings in Double-A this year.
You can see a full list of minor league free agents from Baseball America here. Among the former Royals listed include Nick Anderson, Scott Blewett, Mike Brosseau, Garrett Davila, Grant Gavin, Zach Haake, Jesse Hahn, Brad Keller, Jack Lopez, Jordan Lyles, Michael Mariot, Drew Parrish, Brett Phillips, Logan Porter, Bubba Thompson, and Nolan Watson.
Some of the other former big leaguers available include Albert Almora, Brian Anderson, Tucker Barnhart, Jake Bauers, David Bote, Adam Cimber, Garrett Cooper, David Dahl, Bobby Dalbec, J.D. Davis, Giovanny Gallegos, Ken Giles, James Karinchak, Carter Kieboom, Jake Lamb, Tyler Matzek, Francisco Mejia, Joey Meneses, Elehuris Montero, Riley Pint, Harold Ramirez, Sixto Sanchez, DJ Stewart, and Bryse Wilson.
