The Royals announced they have signed former All-Star catcher Elias Díaz to a minor league deal. Díaz spent 106 games with the Padres last year and hit .204/.270/.337 with nine home runs.
The Venezuelan-born Díaz began his career with the Pirates in 2015, but was non-tendered after the 2019 season. He signed on with the Rockies, where his bat blossomed. He socked a career-high 18 home runs in 2021, and was named an All-Star in 2023 when he hit .267/.316/.409 with 14 home runs. His power dropped the next year and the Rockies released him in August to save some money. The Padres picked him up and he made a postseason appearance for him that fall, and he returned to serve as a backup catcher for them in 2025.
The 35-year-old right-hander isn’t much with the bat anymore, but he has one of the quickest pop times in baseball behind the plate. He threw out 23 percent of would-be basestealers last year, and rates well in blocking and framing metrics.
The Royals may be looking for a veteran catcher to carry on the roster behind Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen to allow them to play one of those players at first or DH. The team already signed veteran Jorge Alfaro, who was teammates with Díaz in Colorado in 2023. They also signed Luke Maile, although he has not been in camp for personal reasons.