Royals designate young outfielder for assignment

The Royals announced Tuesday that they’ve designated outfielder Tyler Gentry for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to left-hander Rich Hill, whose previously reported promotion from Triple-A Omaha is now official. Righty Andrew Hoffmann was optioned to Omaha to open an active roster spot for the 45-year-old Hill.

Gentry, 26, made his big league debut last year but went hitless in his five plate appearances. He’s spent the 2025 season in Triple-A, where he’s struggled to a .205/.277/.365 batting line with five homers, 16 doubles, two triples, a 7.6% walk rate and a 28.5% strikeout rate in 249 plate appearances. This is his third season in Triple-A and also his least-productive. The 2020 third-round pick posted big numbers in High-A and Double-A as he climbed the minor league ladder but has struggled at the top level.

Gentry is a right-handed hitter who has had good success against lefties in the past. He’s a corner outfielder who’s played primarily right field but does have 461 career innings in left field as well. This is his second of three minor league option years.

The Royals will either trade Gentry or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. Waivers would require an additional 48 hours to process. He hasn’t been outrighted in the past and doesn’t have three years of major league service time, so if Gentry goes unclaimed on waivers, the Royals can assign him outright to Omaha and keep him as a depth option while no longer dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him.