Royals bulk up, land Grichuk from Diamondbacks

The Kansas City Royals acquired veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk in a Saturday night deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the club announced.

Grichuk, who was in the lineup for the Diamondbacks' Saturday game at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was removed from the contest after the deal was struck. Television cameras showed the outfielder saying goodbye to his teammates in the dugout. He was 0-for-2 before being replaced by Jorge Barrosa in manager Torey Lovullo's lineup.

In return, the Diamondbacks acquired 25-year-old rookie right-hander Andrew Hoffmann. The reliever, who has made three appearances this season, has a 3.86 ERA with five strikeouts.

Grichuk entered Saturday's game with a .243 average on the season. As Arizona struggled to stay in contention in the National League, Grichuk had seven home runs and 22 RBIs.

A 33-year-old right-handed hitter, Grichuk has been in the majors since breaking in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. He has also played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels before landing with Arizona. On the 2021 Blue Jays, Grichuk authored one of his best seasons, finishing with 123 hits, 25 doubles, 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.

The Diamondbacks expect to be one of the more aggressive clubs leading up to Wednesdays' trade deadline. Earlier this week, the Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from Arizona in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Brandyn Garcia and right-handed pitching prospect Ashton Izzi.

Earlier in the day, the Royals placed rookie first baseman and outfielder Jac Caglianone on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.