Outfielder Tarik El-Abour, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and did not speak until he was 6, signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on Friday, which was Autism Awareness Day.
El-Abour was assigned to the Royals' extended spring training in Surprise, Arizona, and will open with one of Kansas City's three rookie league clubs, which all start their seasons in June. The 25-year-old El-Abour has played in the independent Empire League, where he was named rookie of the year in 2016.
Reggie Sanders, a former Royals player who is an adviser to baseball operations, was instrumental in getting El-Abour signed.