RYAN O'HEARN NEWS

Royals agree with O'Hearn on $1.4M deal to avoid arbitration

The Royals and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn agreed to a $1.4 million contract to avoid salary arbitration

NOVEMBER 15, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Avoids arbitration with Royals O'Hearn agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Royals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration.

Impact O'Hearn, 29, has been a below replacement level player in the majors in each of the last four seasons, so it's a little surprising that he's sticking around on a big-league pact. Last year he saw time at first base, designated hitter and right field. O'Hearn is a career .219/.293/.390 hitter in 342 games and has been worth -1.4 fWAR over that time.

NOVEMBER 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Castro, Báez homer, Tigers sweep Royals 10-3, escape cellar

Willi Castro and Javy Báez homered to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 10-3 for a three-game sweep that moved the Tigers out of last place in the AL Central

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Drives in two O'Hearn went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 13-12 win over the Mariners.

Impact O'Hearn has seen his playing time drop even more since rosters expanded at the start of September -- he's started in just four contests this month. Despite the inconsistent playing time, he's been solid, going 7-for-22 (.318) in his last 10 contests. He hadn't driven in a run since Aug. 22 before his two-run double in the sixth inning Sunday. O'Hearn has a .230/.285/.310 slash line with one home run, five doubles, 13 RBI and 13 runs scored through 137 plate appearances.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Collects two hits O'Hearn went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 6-4 win over the White Sox.

Impact O'Hearn hadn't been in the lineup since July 28, but he got the start at designated hitter Monday. The Royals have opted to give playing time to a large number of rookies since the trade deadline, so O'Hearn remains little more than a bench bat at this point in the season. The 29-year-old is slashing .223/.282/.309 with one home run, 11 RBI and eight runs scored through 103 plate appearances, though he has hit safely in three of the last five games in which he's recorded an at-bat.

AUGUST 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Three hits in loss O'Hearn went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Angels.

Impact This was O'Hearn's first game since the All-Star break, and he turned in his first multi-hit effort of the season. All three hits were singles. The 29-year-old remains firmly in a bench role for now, though the Royals are expected to trade away some veterans before next Tuesday's trade deadline. That could open up some extra playing time for O'Hearn, though it's more likely the team opts to give prospects a long look at the major-league level instead. The veteran owns a meager .207/.258/.280 slash line with one home run, 10 RBI and six runs scored through 89 plate appearances.

JULY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Back in bench role O'Hearn remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

Impact O'Hearn made four consecutive starts in right field during the Royals' series in Toronto to close out the first half, but he's predictably faded back into a bench role coming out of the All-Star break with Kansas City having since returned 10 players from the restricted list. He'll be on the bench for the fourth game in a row, with Hunter Dozier having since taken over as Kansas City's everyday right fielder.

JULY 25, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Primed for expanded role in Toronto O'Hearn will start in right field and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

Impact With six of the Royals' options in the outfield (Andrew Benintendi, Michael Taylor, Whit Merrifield, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Dozier and MJ Melendez) all landing on the restricted list Thursday and ineligible to play in the four-game series in Toronto due to their vaccination statuses, O'Hearn should be a fixture in the lineup this weekend. Toronto is expected to bring four right-handed starting pitchers to the hill, which should lessen the possibility of the lefty-hitting O'Hearn exiting the starting nine. Despite having held down a spot on the active roster all season, O'Hearn has logged just 71 plate appearances through 88 games and is slashing .182/.225/.242.

JULY 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Provides two RBI in nightcap O'Hearn went 1-for-4 with two RBI in a 7-3 win over the Tigers in the second game of Monday's doubleheader.

Impact O'Hearn went 0-for-2 in the matinee game, but he was able to supply some offense in the nightcap. The 28-year-old had gone 0-for-9 across his previous seven games before starting both of Monday's contests in right field. With Whit Merrifield (toe) out, O'Hearn could be in contention for a little more playing time in right field, though Edward Olivares and Kyle Isbel are most likely to play there. O'Hearn has slashed .182/.225/.242 with a home run, nine RBI and four runs scored through 71 plate appearances, so he's still little more than a depth player.

JULY 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Clutch hit off bench O'Hearn went 1-for-1 with an RBI double in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Athletics.

Impact O'Hearn hit for Emmanuel Rivera and knocked in the game's first run in the seventh inning. While he's yet to start a game in June, O'Hearn has gone 2-for-5 in a pinch hitting role. His last start was May 27, and it doesn't appear his path to playing time will get any easier as long as the Royals' preferred starting nine are healthy, as manager Mike Matheny doesn't utilize many platoons. O'Hearn is slashing .216/.268/.294 with a home run, seven RBI, four runs scored and a double in 56 plate appearances overall.

JUNE 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Webb 7 shutout IP, Giants beat Royals 4-2 for 5th win in row

Logan Webb pitched five-hit ball over seven scoreless innings to win for the first time in a month, and the San Francisco Giants stretched their winning streak to five with a 4-2 w...

JUNE 15, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Seeing little playing time O'Hearn has drawn just nine starts since the beginning of May.

Impact The Royals' flexible lineup hasn't opened up many chances for playing time for O'Hearn. The 28-year-old also hasn't done much to earn a longer look in the lineup, hitting just .191/.250/.255 with a home run, five RBI and four runs scored through 52 plate appearances. While Carlos Santana appears set to lose his starting role at first base, Hunter Dozier and MJ Melendez are the most likely to benefit with more stable spots in the lineup, with O'Hearn remaining in a bench role.

JUNE 4, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Homers as pinch hitter O'Hearn hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter in Friday's 14-10 win over the Rockies.

Impact O'Hearn provided a little extra insurance with his first homer of the year in the eighth inning. The 28-year-old has added five RBI and two runs scored through 29 plate appearances. He saw a bit more playing time when Carlos Santana (ankle) was out, but the latter is a switch hitter likely to command much of the playing time at first base going forward. O'Hearn will likely have to compete with Hunter Dozier, Emmanuel Rivera and MJ Melendez to draw starts as the designated hitter.

MAY 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Benintendi, Dozier lead 18-hit night; Royals top Rox 14-10

Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer and an RBI triple, Hunter Dozier had his first career five-hit game and the Kansas City Royals broke out of their offensive funk in a 14-10 vi...

MAY 14, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sits against lefty O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact With southpaw Taylor Hearn on the hill for Texas, the lefty-hitting O'Hearn will give way in the lineup to the righty-hitting Emmanuel Rivera, who came off the bench to replace him in Wednesday's 8-2 win and provided a three-run triple in his lone at-bat. O'Hearn should still find himself in the large side of a platoon at first base or designated hitter until Carlos Santana (ankle) is ready to return from the injured list.

MAY 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

On bench Tuesday O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers.

Impact O'Hearn had started at first base or designated hitter in four of the Royals' last five games, going 2-for-13 with two RBI and a run. With a southpaw (Martin Perez) on the mound for Texas, the lefty-hitting O'Hearn will cede his spot in the lineup to the righty-hitting Emmanuel Rivera, who will handle DH duties.

MAY 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat for nightcap O'Hearn isn't starting the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

Impact O'Hearn drew his third consecutive start in Sunday's matinee, and he went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a strikeout. Hunter Dozier will start at first base while Salvador Perez serves as the designated hitter.

MAY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Gets third straight start O'Hearn will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Orioles, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Impact O'Hearn will stay in the lineup for the third game in a row, and at least against right-handed pitching, he looks like he'll be the primary replacement for Carlos Santana (ankle), who was recently placed on the 10-day injured list. Over his prior two starts, O'Hearn went 1-for-7, with his single in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Cardinals representing his first hit of the season.

MAY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Back on bench O'Hearn is on the bench for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Impact O'Hearn will bow out of the lineup after going 0-for-2 with a walk while making his first start of the season in Saturday's 13-7 loss. Even though he's been with the Royals since Opening Day, O'Hearn has been one of MLB's least-used bench players. He's seen action in only four of the Royals' first 13 games while logging seven plate appearances in total.

APRIL 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Back in action Thursday O'Hearn (groin) will bat third while serving as the Royals' designated hitter in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Impact O'Hearn's return to the lineup supports the notion that the Royals' decision to remove him from Tuesday's game against the Mariners was mostly a matter of caution while he dealt with a left groin injury. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a red-hot spring with 10 hits -- including a pair of home runs -- across 20 at-bats.

MARCH 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Wednesday O'Hearn (groin) isn't starting Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants.

Impact O'Hearn was removed from Tuesday's matchup as a precautionary measure, and he'll be held out of the starting lineup Wednesday. He'll have just over a week to return to full health prior to Opening Day.

MARCH 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Picks up groin issue O'Hearn left Tuesday's Cactus League game with a left groin injury and is considered day-to-day.

Impact O'Hearn's removal from the contest was labeled a precaution, so it doesn't appear to be a serious injury. Still, any injury this close to Opening Day is noteworthy, and he'll have just over a week to get back on the field before the start of the regular season April 7.

MARCH 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Avoids arbitration O'Hearn signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Royals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Impact O'Hearn is expected to serve in a utility role with time at first base, right field and designated hitter in 2022. The 28-year-old posted a mediocre .225/.268/.369 slash line with nine home runs, 29 RBI and 23 runs scored in 84 games last season.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Royals agree with Mondesi, 5 others to avoid arbitration

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $3 million contract with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and five other players for the upcoming season, avoiding arbitration before Tuesday’s d...

MARCH 22, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Skubal expected to start as Tigers host the Royals

The Tigers will send Tarik Skubal to the mound Saturday and the Royals will give Jon Heasley the start

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS