The Kansas City Royals informed infielder Matt Duffy that he made the team's Opening Day roster, according to a report by Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Duffy was a non-roster invitee and will now start the season as the team's primary utility infielder. Duffy, of course, was a key contributor for the SF Giants from 2014-2016 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a package for southpaw Matt Moore.
Duffy is coming off a down season with the Los Angeles Angels when he hit .250/.308/.311 with just 10 extra-base hits (2 home runs) in 247 plate appearances, which forced him to settle for a minor-league deal with Kansas City this offseason. However, this spring with the Royals, Duffy hit .316/.341/.447 with five doubles in 41 plate appearances.
The Royals will be the fifth team Duffy has played for at the big-league level across his eight MLB seasons. A career .279/.337/.373 hitter, Duffy has been trying to replicate his early-career success with the Giants for several years.
Duffy was selected by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Long Beach State as an athletic soft-hitting shortstop. Then, almost as soon as he reached pro ball, Duffy took a massive step forward offensively.
In his first full minor-league season, Duffy hit .303/.389/.443 with nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (57) between Single-A and High-A. The following year, Duffy was matching that production at Double-A and received a late-season call up to the majors just in time for the Giants 2014 postseason run. While Duffy only had six at-bats in the playoffs, he scored a pair of runs, including one of the best baserunning plays in MLB history.
After winning a World Series in 2014, Duffy emerged as the Giants starting third baseman the following season in what turned out to be the most productive campaign of his career. In 149 games, Duffy hit .295/.334/.428 with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 12 homers, and 12 stolen bases. At only 24 years old, he looked like a member of the Giants core going forward.
However, Duffy was unable to replicate that production the following season, and by the trade deadline, had been sent to Tampa Bay. A combination of injuries and poor performance in the years since have relegated Matt Duffy to utility infield duty with the Rays, Chicago Cubs, Angels, and now Royals.
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