The Royals activated Hunter Renfroe from the Injured List on Thursday. He had been out since August 24 with a hamstring injury and went 0-for-4 in one rehab game with Double-A Northwest Arkansas this week. To make room on the roster, the Royals optioned pitcher Steven Cruz to Triple-A Omaha.
The move leaves the Royals with just 13 pitchers, while they have 15 hitters. They acquired first baseman Yuli Gurriel and claimed outfielder Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers while Renfroe was out. With an off day today, the Royals may not need as many arms, but eventually they will want to get back to the roster max of 14 pitchers, which will require taking a hitter off the roster.