Robbie Grossman Claimed off Waivers by Royals

By Nate Miller

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

August 31, 2024

ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug 31) — The Kansas City Royals claimed outfielder Robbie Grossman off waivers on Saturday. He landed on the waiver wire by the Texas Rangers on Thursday alongside teammate Travis Jankowski. This was a move that shocked the Rangers fan base. Jankowski made a dazzling catch on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox to rob Andrew Vaughn of a walk-off homer at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Robbie Grossman batted second in his final game as a member of the Rangers on Friday. It came against the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field. He was still eligible to play for the Rangers even though he was placed on waivers. League rules specify that a player must be in a team’s organization before 10:59 pm on Saturday to be placed on a postseason roster.

Grossman had a slash line of .227/.333/.324 in 70 games for the Rangers this season. They reacquired him from the White Sox on May 8 in exchange for minor league right-hander Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. Grossman appeared in 115 regular season games for the Rangers last year. He also played in seven postseason games during their World Series run. He entered free agency in the offseason, and eventually re-signed with the Rangers. His ability to hit left-handed pitching is an attractive luxury for a Royals club that trails the first-place Cleveland Guardians by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central. Coincidentally, Grossman is now one of four members of the 2023 Rangers on the Royals roster alongside left-handers Will Smith and Cole Ragans and right-hander Chris Stratton.

Jankowski’s Future with the Rangers

Jankowski has become a fan-favorite in Arlington, earning the nickname “El Blondie” because of his long blonde hair. It’s also a nod to Adolis Garcia‘s nickname “El Bombi” — a shorter version of el bombillo, which translates to ‘”the lightbulb.” For now, he remains on the Rangers’ roster. Time will tell whether he is claimed by another team. In their flurry of moves, the Royals have also claimed Tommy Pham off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals and Yuli Gurriel from the Atlanta Braves. They anticipate all three players reporting on Sunday. Infielder CJ Alexander and catcher Austin Nola have been designated for assignment.