The Rays announced Monday that they’ve traded outfielder Kameron Misner to the Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Tampa Bay had designated Misner for assignment last week. The Royals’ 40-man roster count climbs to 36.
Misner, 28 in January, has received limited big league action with the Rays over the past two seasons. Overall, he has 232 big league plate appearances. 34.1% of those ended in a strikeout and 6.9% resulted in a walk, both subpar figures. That has led to a .203/.260/.325 batting line. He got squeezed off Tampa’s roster last week.
Despite that tepid offensive showing thus far, there are reasons why the Royals would be interested. His sprint speed was ranked in the 75th percentile this year and he stole eight bases in nine tries. His work in the outfield this year resulted in five Defensive Runs Saved and three Outs Above Average.
It’s also possible that there’s more in the bat than he has shown so far. From 2023 to 2025, he took 1,203 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. In those, he slashed .233/.358/.449 for a wRC+ of 106, with a really strong 15.7% walk rate. His 31.7% strikeout rate in that time wasn’t great but he at least showed signs of improvement. When he first arrived at Triple-A in 2023, he was punched out at a massive 35.8% clip, but he got that down to 29.3% and then 26.1% in the two most recent seasons.
The Royals have been struggling to put together a good outfield group for years. In the 2025 season, the club’s outfielders posted a collective .225/.285/.348 line. The resultant wRC+ of 73 was dead last in the majors.
Misner still has an option remaining, so he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a job on the big league roster. Currently, the Royals project to have Jac Caglianone, Kyle Isbel, John Rave, Dairon Blanco, MJ Melendez and Drew Waters. They front office will likely be on the lookout for more meaningful upgrades throughout the offseason. For now, Misner gives them another option to at least bolster the floor with his speed and defense. If his bat takes a step forward, he could separate himself from the pack. If not, he can at least be in Triple-A as depth.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images