Yuniesky Betancourt was exactly the player for the Royals that the team should have expected him to be. On Sunday, that finally got him bumped from the roster, as he was designated for assignment and replaced by Tony Abreu from Triple-A Omaha.
Betancourt started at third base today and went 0-for-4, leaving him with a .228/.256/.400 line, seven homers and 36 RBI in 215 at-bats for the season. While expectations were that he’d be a utilityman after agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract over the winter, he started about 60 percent of the games of which he was on the active roster. He missed four weeks in May because of a sprained ankle.
Despite his struggles, he was actually the Royals’ best run producer this year, going strictly by RBI. He drove in a run every 5.97 at-bats, compared to one every 6.06 at-bats for Billy Butler. Jeff Francouer, in comparison, has one RBI every 12.58 at-bats.
Replacing Betancourt is the similarly hacktastic Abreu, who had a 69/14 K/BB ratio in 429 at-bats for Omaha. Some will suggest it means the Royals have given up on Johnny Giavotella after his disappointing 21-game stint earlier this season, but the Royals needed a backup infielder who could play short and Giavotella is pretty strictly a second baseman. The 28-year-old Abreu was hitting .322/.347/.492 in 429 at-bats for Omaha, while the 25-year-old Giavotella was at .332/.419/.498 in 313 at-bats.
