Royals' Garrett Hampson: On base three times in nightcap
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Hampson went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in a 9-4 win over the Guardians in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader.
Hampson has been a regular in the lineup versus southpaws in August. That said, he hasn't done much, batting just .175 (7-for-40) with no extra-base hits and two walks over 15 contests. Hampson has yet to hit a home run this year, adding 12 doubles, one triple, 14 RBI, 14 runs scored and seven stolen bases while slashing .239/.281/.314 across 201 plate appearances.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Getting another start vs. lefty
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Hampson will start in left field and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Hampson will stay in the starting nine for the fourth time in five games, but the Royals have faced left-handed starters or primary pitchers in each of the past three contests. The speedy utility man still looks to be stuck in a short-side platoon role.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Nabs steal Wednesday
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Hampson went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base in a 6-4 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Hampson got the start in center field for the first half of the doubleheader, giving Kyle Isbel some rest. Hampson's last three hits have all been doubles, but they've come over a span of 17 at-bats across his last six games. The versatile 29-year-old is slashing .262/.301/.349 with six steals, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored and no home runs across 135 plate appearances this season. He's mainly filled a short-side platoon role in center field, though he can play all over the diamond if necessary.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Returning to bench Sunday
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Hampson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
Hampson picked up starts at second base and center field the past two games while the Royals faced off against a pair of lefties, going 0-for-7 with an RBI between those contests. The Royals should continue to open up regular playing time for the utility player versus left-handed pitching, but Hampson's opportunities to play against righties are expected to remain limited.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Productive from bottom of order
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Hampson went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Rays.
Getting the start in center field and batting ninth with lefty Tyler Alexander lined up to be the primary pitcher for Tampa Bay, Hampson kept the line moving as he reached base three times, the second time he's accomplished that in his last six starts. Of late, the 29-year-old has mainly been used as a platoon partner for Kyle Isbel, and Hampson's been effective in that role -- on the season he's slashing .306/.359/.389 in 40 plate appearances against southpaws.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: On base three times in win
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Hampson went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Angels.
Hampson was one of five Royals with a multi-hit effort in the high-scoring win. The utility man continues to handle a short-side platoon role while splitting his time between second base, left field and center field. He's hit well when given the chance, batting .268 (11-for-41) with no home runs, two doubles, three RBI, five runs scored and four steals.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Two steals in Saturday's win
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Hampson went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Saturday's 11-7 win over the Mets.
Hampson got the start in center field with the Royals facing lefty Sean Manaea. This was Hampson's first multi-hit game of the season, and he took advantage of the extra time on the basepaths to pick up his second and third steals. The utility man is batting .211 with one RBI, four runs scored and a double through 20 plate appearances, and he's also struck out 10 times. Kyle Isbel (.244) isn't hitting much better, but it's enough to keep both players in their current platoon situation.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Picks up first steal
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Hampson stole a base as a pinch runner in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Orioles.
Hampson has played in three of the Royals' four games so far, but he hasn't started any of them. The 29-year-old offers speed and defensive versatility off the bench, a role that is more valuable on the field than in fantasy. He is hitless through four at-bats, so he'll need to show more with the bat to have any chance to carve out a larger role.
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Royals' Garrett Hampson: Seen as top utility option
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Hampson is projected to be the Royals' main utility player this season, Anne Rogers of the Royals' official site reports.
Hampson can cover a number of positions -- he's played everywhere but first base and catcher in his major-league career. Rogers notes it's likely Hampson won't have a single position, but he could still come close to everyday playing time by providing cover around the diamond. He hit a career-high .276 with his second-base OPS (.729) last season with the Marlins, which is impressive given he spent his first five seasons with the Rockies, so his move to the Royals alone shouldn't end up having a negative impact on his play.
Royals' Garrett Hampson: Inks one-year deal with KC
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Hampson signed a one-year contract with the Royals on Wednesday.
The deal is worth $2 million guaranteed, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. Hampson was non-tendered by the Marlins earlier this month despite posting a career-best .276/.349/.380 batting line over 98 games in 2023 while appearing defensively at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield spots. The 29-year-old should be a useful super-utility option for Kansas City in 2024.
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Garrett Hampson: Pushed into free agency
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Hampson became a free agent Friday after being non-tendered by Miami.
Hampson played all around the diamond defensively in 2023 and posted a respectable .729 OPS across 252 plate appearances, but the Marlins did not want to pay his price tag as a second-year arbitration-eligible player. The 29-year-old should be able to find a super-utility job elsewhere.
Hampson is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's NL Wild Card Series Game 1 against the Phillies.
Jon Berti will start at shortstop and bat eighth with Joey Wendle joining Hampson on the bench. Hampson drew steady action at shortstop over the final few weeks of the regular season, but it seems he's being viewed as a super-utility option off the bench in Miami's best-of-three series at Philadelphia.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Resting Sunday
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Hampson isn't starting Sunday against the Brewers, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.
Hampson will sit down for the second straight time after being held hitless in three tries during Friday's series opener. Jon Berti will pick up another start at shortstop and bat seventh.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Sitting Saturday
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Hampson isn't in the Marlins' lineup Saturday against the Brewers.
Hampson will get a breather Saturday after going 3-for-16 with four RBI across his last five games. Jon Berti will fill in at shortstop and bat eighth.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Idle Friday
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Hampson isn't in the Marlins' lineup Friday versus Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Hampson will get a day off Friday after going 3-for-11 with an RBI during Miami's four-game series with the Brewers. Joey Wendle will cover shortstop and bat ninth while Hampson sits.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Another start at shortstop
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Hampson will get another start at shortstop Thursday versus the Brewers.
Hampson has now started at short in four of the Marlins' last six games, with Joey Wendle riding the pine. Hampson went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in Wednesday's win over Milwaukee and has batted .287/.352/.414 across 196 total plate appearances on the year. Wendle, meanwhile, is slashing .222/.257/.323 over 299 plate appearances.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Back on bench Monday
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Hampson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Hampson will hit the bench after starting in each of the past three games. After going 4-for-6 with a solo home run in the first two of those contests, Hampson fell back to earth in a 5-4 win over the Phillies on Sunday, when he struck out in four of his five plate appearances. Joey Wendle will step back in at shortstop on Monday and still appears to be the Marlins' preferred option at the position.
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Marlins' Garrett Hampson: Pops third homer
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Hampson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Phillies.
The utility player got the Marlins on the board in the fifth inning when he slashed an Aaron Nola fastball over the left-field fence. Hampson's playing time continues to pick up, both due to his current form and due to the lack of consistent production from the likes of Joey Wendle, and he's started five of the last nine games for Miami -- three at shortstop and two at third base. Over that stretch, Hampson's batting .391 (9-for-23) with two of his three homers on the season.
