KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals today announced that they have signed infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson to a one-year Major League contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kansas City’s Major League Reserve List is now at 40.
Hampson, 29, hit a career-best .276 in 98 games in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, while playing six different defensive positions. He made starts at shortstop (26), center field (13), right field (8), second base (6), third base (4) and left field (2) for Miami last season and hit .282 (42-for-149) vs. right-handed pitchers. Hampson also made the Marlins Wild Card roster and appeared in Game 1 at Philadelphia.
He spent the first five seasons of his Major League career with Colorado, where in 2021 he set career highs in games (147), hits (106), doubles (21), triples (6), home runs (11) and stolen bases (17). He tied for 1st in the Majors in 2021 with 7 bunt hits and set a Rockies single-season franchise record with 21 infield hits.
In each of his six Major League seasons, Hampson has ranked in the 96th percentile or higher in Sprint Speed, including 2023 when he ranked in the 98th percentile at 29.8 ft./second according to Baseball Savant.
Hampson signed with Colorado as a 3rd-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State University.
