KC Royals: What signing Jarrod Dyson means for the rest of the outfield

Jarrod Dyson is back! The KC Royals signed the speedy outfielder to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. What does this mean for the rest of the Royals outfield? 

After four seasons spent with other teams, Jarrod Dyson is back with the Kansas City Royals. The 36-year-old outfielder was drafted by the Royals in the 50th round of the 2006 MLB Draft and ended up spending seven years with them, winning a World Series with the Royals in 2015.

Dyson spent four years jumping between the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Pirates, and White Sox before rejoining the organization that drafted him. While he won’t be a starter (at least not on an everyday basis), Dyson will be of use on the Royals’ bench, as he’s still pretty fast (he swiped 30 bases in 2019 when he was a member of the Diamondbacks) and has experience in all three outfield positions.

What does Jarrod Dyson joining the KC Royals mean for the other outfielders on the roster?

Since Dyson will likely be taking on a reserve role with the Royals, that doesn’t help Nick Heath out, who was already put into a position where he’d have to have a really good spring training to make the Opening Day roster. Heath appeared in 15 games last year and hit .154 in 18 plate appearances.

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This also isn’t great news for Edward Olivares, who the Royals added to their team through a trade last year. Whether the Royals brought Dyson in because they didn’t think Olivares was fully ready yet, we don’t know, but it could explain why this deal was made. Olivares hit .274 in 65 plate appearances last year.

The good news for these two is that while no, they won’t likely make the major league roster, they’ll get plenty of work in the minor leagues. It will give both of them a chance to work harder at the plate and in the outfield so that when they do get called back up, they’ll be ready for the challenge.

It’s good to have Jarrod Dyson back with the Kansas City Royals. What do you think of this move?