Royals Trade For Emilio Bonifacio

Jul 3, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman

(1) before playing against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre. The Tigers beat the Blue Jays 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

In an effort to make up for the sudden rash of injuries, Dayton Moore acquired utility player Emilio Bonifacio from the Toronto Blue Jays for either a player to be named later or cash considerations. In a coorisponding move, the Royals placed Miguel Tejada on the 60-day disabled list.

The Royals are expected to make corresponding 25-man roster move when he arrives tomorrow.

Bonifacio is a speedy and athletic player who can play just about anywhere on the diamond. This season alone he has played second, short, and all three outfield positions for the Blue Jays. Injuries forced Bonifacio into an every day role at second base where he has batted .218/.258/.321 with three home runs and 20 RBI. For his career he is a .261/.319/.340 hitter. In 2011 he was a 2.7 WAR player for then Florida Marlins and had a 107 OPS+.

His biggest tool is his athleticism. This year Bonifacio has been a plus-6 defender at second base, which ranks him 10th amongst all second basemen. He is not an excellent defender, per say, but he can field most every position well. In the last few days the Royals have lost Lorenzo Cain and Miguel Tejada to the disabled list, and third baseman Mike Moustakas appears to be charging towards DL too after straining his left calf muscle.

Kansas City traded for Minnesota Twins utility infielder Jamey Carroll in an effort to fill some of that void, but it appears Moore needed one more player to insure there was enough depth on the team if he had to place Moose on the disabled list.

The question is whether or not another utility player is what Kansas City needed. If the Royals lose Moustakas for any length of time then they have lost one of their best power threats in the lineup. A guy like Mark Reynolds, who was released by the Cleveland Indians recently, could give the Royals a temporary third baseman on the cheap who can both hit a lot of home runs and walk. If Moose isn’t out for long, Reynolds would be a nice piece to have off the bench for pinch-hitting duties against left-handed pitching.

Back in May, KC Kingdom included Bonifacio, who is the brother of Kansas City AA farm hand, Jorge Bonifacio, on a short list of possible options for the Royals at second base.

It could be that the Royals are not too concerned about Moose missing too much time, at which point it still becomes confusing to see where all of the Royals utility players fit. Still, you can’t say the Royals don’t have enough utility depth should another injury happen.