KANSAS CITY, MO (December 5, 2018) – The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has signed infielder/outfielder Chris Owings to a one-year contract. Consistent with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Owings, 27, hit .206 (58-for-281) in 106 games (63 starts) with Arizona in 2018, while making starts in right field (33), center field (10), third base (9), second base (8) and left field (3). He set career highs in 2017 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI, but was limited to just 97 games due to injury.

He was selected out of Gilbert High School (S.C.) by Arizona in the first round (41st overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, and made his Major League debut in September of 2013. In parts of six seasons with the Diamondbacks, Owings has made starts at shortstop (214), second base (145), center field (57), right field (56), third base (9) and left field (3). In 2016, he became the first in the Majors to record at least 400 innings in center field and at shortstop in a single season since 1977. He also tied for the Major League lead that year with 11 triples.

Owings is one of 26 players in the Majors to record at least 10 steals in each of the last four seasons, and is the Diamondbacks’ all-time leader (min. 50 steals) with a career stolen base rate of 84.3 (70-for-83).

Kansas City’s Major League Reserve List is now at 37.