Royals non-tender Terrance Gore, re-sign him to minor league deal

The Royals have non-tendered outfielder Terrance Gore, according to Rustin Dodd, making him a free agent. The 26-year old is known for his speed, spending parts of four seasons with the Royals, but batting just 14 times in the big leagues. He did steal 21 bases in 25 attempts, plus another four stolen bases in post-season play.

Gore is considered one of the fastest players in the game, but has never done much with the bat. He hit .249/.310/.307 in 254 plate appearances between AA and AAA last season and is a career .244/.338/.277 in seven minor league seasons.

Gore is out of options for the 2018 season, so he would have to be kept on the Major League roster, or be exposed to waivers to send him to the minors. The Royals may have non-tendered him now to keep him from being exposed to waivers, hoping to sign him to a minor league deal and keep him in the organization.

The Royals are expected to tender contracts to pitcher Kelvin Herrera, Nate Karns, and Brandon Maurer by tonight’s 7 p.m. CT deadline for players that arbitration-eligible. The Royals agreed to terms on a one-year deal with pitcher Mike Morin, according to Dodd, avoiding arbitration.

The roster move gives the Royals 37 players on their 40-man roster.

Update: Gore is back.