📰 NEWS FLASH: The Royals just secured Lane Thomas for a year at $5M-plus, and it’s the kind of move that can snowball fast if he clicks ⚡.NL
Outfielder Lane Thomas is heading to Kansas City, inking a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Royals, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The contract, which includes up to $1 million in performance bonuses, is pending a physical.
For the Royals, this move adds a versatile outfield bat with some pop and speed-when healthy. That’s the key phrase here: when healthy.
Thomas’ 2024 season with Cleveland was defined more by the injury report than the box score. He was limited to just 39 games, hitting .160 with four home runs and 11 RBIs across 125 at-bats.
Not exactly the follow-up he wanted after a breakout 2023.
But there’s more to the story. Despite the rough regular season, Thomas showed up when it counted in October, driving in nine runs during the AL Division Series against Detroit. That kind of postseason production doesn’t go unnoticed-especially from a player who’s shown he can be a difference-maker when he’s right.
Let’s rewind to 2023, when Thomas was one of the more quietly productive outfielders in the National League. He hit .268 for Washington with career highs in home runs (28), RBIs (86), and stolen bases (20). That’s the version of Lane Thomas the Royals are betting on.
Injuries, though, were a recurring theme in 2024. It started early, with a bone bruise in his right wrist after getting plunked by a pitch from Chicago’s Shane Smith.
That kept him out from April 8 to 15, and again from April 19 to May 22. Then came plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which sidelined him from May 26 to June 9.
He made his final big league appearance of the season on July 4 before the foot issue flared up again.
Thomas attempted a comeback in early September, appearing in three Double-A games as part of a rehab assignment. But ultimately, he underwent surgery on Sept. 23, ending his season for good.
It’s worth noting that Thomas is no stranger to big moments. In 2023, he launched a tiebreaking grand slam off Detroit ace Tarik Skubal in Game 5 of the AL Wild Card Series-a swing that helped cement his reputation as a clutch performer.
He entered free agency last month after earning $7.825 million in 2024 on a one-year deal that avoided arbitration. Now, with a fresh opportunity in Kansas City, Thomas will look to recapture the form that made him a 20-20 threat just two seasons ago.
If he can stay on the field, the Royals may have found themselves a low-risk, high-upside addition to their outfield mix-one who’s already proven he can produce when it matters most.
