DREW WATERS NEWS

Royals prospect Drew Waters debuts amid whirlwind of circumstances Waters spent the early part of his day scrambling, but during the key moment of his Royals debut, all he had to do was walk.

AUGUST 23, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Waters breaks tie with walk, Royals beat White Sox 6-4

Drew Waters drew a bases-loaded walk to break an eighth-inning tie in his major league debut, boosting the Kansas City Royals to a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox in a game resc...

AUGUST 22, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Royals' Drew Waters on his crazy day, hours ahead of MLB debut Kansas City Royals outfielder Drew Waters talks to reporters ahead of his Major League debut on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, at Kauffman Stadium i...

AUGUST 22, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Royals Promote No. 9 Prospect Drew Waters From Omaha Waters is slated to make his big-league debut on Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

AUGUST 22, 2022 • SACBEE.COM

Arrives in majors 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.

Impact 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.

AUGUST 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kansas City Royals call up prospect Drew Waters, who was acquired in draft pick trade Drew Waters is in the Royals’ lineup Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium

AUGUST 22, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

Drew Waters, who came to Royals in a trade, is off to blazing start at Triple-A Omaha The Royals’ Triple-A center fielder took Jacob deGrom deep last week.

AUGUST 2, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM

The Early Returns on the Drew Waters Experiment Are Amazing It’s too soon to declare Waters this good, but he’s been phenomenal since the trade.

AUGUST 1, 2022 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

If the Drew Waters Trade Was a Picollo Special, Royals Need More of Them The Royals’ GM pulled off a heist on Monday, and that could bode well for the future of the club.

JULY 12, 2022 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Monday's Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Acquired OF Drew Waters, RHP Andrew Hoffman and INF C.J.

JULY 11, 2022 • SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM

Bound for Kansas City The Royals agreed Monday to acquire Waters, right-hander Andrew Hoffmann and infielder CJ Alexander from Atlanta in exchange for the 35th overall pick in the 2022 first-year player...

Impact Just a couple years ago, Waters looked as though he might have a long-term future in the Atlanta outfield once he reached the big leagues, but his prospect star has dimmed while Michael Harris has also passed him up in the organizational hierarchy. Waters has continued to languish during his third tour of Triple-A Gwinnett in 2022, producing a modest .698 OPS while striking out at a 27.1 percent clip. In spite of his limited development over the past few seasons, Waters still boasts plus speed and above-average power, and the move to Kansas City could be what he needs to unlock his potential. Waters will likely report to Triple-A Omaha, but he could be in line to get a look with Kansas City later in 2022, especially if Andrew Benintendi is moved prior to the trade deadline and/or if Kyle Isbel and Edward Olivares underwhelm while sharing right field.

JULY 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Shakes off hamstring injury Waters (hamstring) picked up starts Friday and Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett, going 3-for-8 with an RBI between the two contests.

Impact Waters initially picked up the hamstring injury Tuesday, but after a couple days off, he was cleared to make his return to the Gwinnett lineup as a DH. After getting Saturday off, Waters resumed playing center field in Sunday's 6-5 win over Charlotte, so the hamstring injury doesn't appear to be a concern.

MAY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Hamstring issue returns Waters is day-to-day due to a hamstring injury with Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Impact Waters felt tightness in his hamstring Wednesday and has been held out of consecutive games since. The injury is particularly worrisome because Waters began the season on the 7-day injured list with a similar issue. He has been limited to only four plate appearances to this point in 2022, though he has avoided another stint on the injured list to this point.

MAY 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Big day in return to Triple-A Waters went 4-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

Impact The outfielder missed the beginning of the season with a hamstring issue, but after a three-game rehab stint at High-A Rome, Waters returned to the Gwinnett lineup with a bang. The 23-year-old's prospect status has dimmed considerably after a rough 2021, but Waters could still factor into the picture for Atlanta at the big-league level if he can build some momentum, and lower his strikeout rate, at Triple-A this season.

MAY 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cleared to return at Triple-A Triple-A Gwinnett activated Waters (hamstring) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Impact Waters is expected to make his 2022 Triple-A debut Tuesday after he recently completed a three-game rehab assignment at High-A Rome, during which he went 4-for-11 with a home run, a double, a walk, five runs and two RBI. He had been sidelined for the first three weeks of the minor-league season while recovering from a right hamstring strain.

MAY 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

On shelf with hamstring injury Waters is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Gwinnett with a hamstring injury, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Impact He went 2-for-4 with a home run, a steal, a walk and two strikeouts in two games in big-league camp. Waters last played March 19 and should be considered week-to-week.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to minors Atlanta optioned Waters (hamstring) to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

Impact Waters was already a longshot to make Atlanta's Opening Day roster heading into spring training, and any chance he had of breaking camp with the big club came to an end when he suffered a right hamstring injury last weekend during his second appearance of the Grapefruit League slate. Atlanta is characterizing Waters' injury as hamstring tightness rather than a strain, so he should have a shot at being ready to go when Gwinnett begins its season April 5.

MARCH 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Scratched with hamstring issue Waters was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's spring game against the Phillies due to right hamstring tightness.

Impact Waters was penciled in to start in right field and bat eighth, but the hamstring issue will keep him off the field. It's unclear how long he's expected to be sidelined by the injury. Jesse Franklin stepped into the lineup in his place for Atlanta.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Matt Olson deal helps clear path to majors for Braves prospects Bryce Elder, Drew Waters The pitcher and outfielder aren't the only prospects who could benefit from the departure of Cristian Pache, Ryan Cusick and Shea Langeliers

MARCH 18, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM