Royals sign infielder Johan Camargo to a minor league deal

The Royals announced they have signed veteran utility infielder Johan Camargo to a minor league deal. The 29-year-old switch-hitter has been a versatile infielder in six years in the big leagues, mostly with the Braves. Last year he played in 52 games for the Phillies, hitting .237/.297/.316 while making appearances at every single infield position, but he was designated for assignment before the post-season.

The Panamanian-born Camargo had a career year in 2018 with the Braves, hitting .272/.349/.457 with 19 home runs. But he has not shown much with the stick other than that, hitting .255/.313/.410 overall in 1,339 career plate appearances. Camargo would still have two more years of service time left before he becomes eligible for MLB free agency.

The Royals are expected to start Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, with Michael Massey competing at second with Nicky Lopez. Third base appears to still be open, the position Camargo has spent the most time at in the big leagues. His bat isn’t good enough for a starting job at this point, so hopefully he’s just a depth move with plans to bring in a different starter at third.