The Rays reassigned Dini to minor-league camp Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia appear set to make the Rays' Opening Day roster as the club's two catchers, so Dini never looked to be a serious threat to break camp with the team. Dini, whose lone big-league action came with the Royals in 2019, slashed .232/.323/.446 in 201 plate appearances at Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets system in 2022.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Dini was placed on injured list Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Dini will isolate away from his teammates until clearing league protocols, which include testing negative for the virus twice. The catcher is part of the Royals' player pool this season but isn't high on the depth chart. He struggled to a .196/.270/.357 slash line in his 20-game debut last season.
Dini will be a part of the Royals' 60-man player pool this season, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.
Dini is one of six catchers who will take part in the Royals' summer camp, and he is behind at least Salvador Perez and Cam Gallagher on the depth chart.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Outrighted to Omaha
Rotowire
Dini cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Dini got into 20 games from the Royals last season, hitting .196/.270/.357. With Salvador Perez set to return from Tommy John surgery in 2020, Dini will be even further down the organizational depth chart.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Booted from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Dini was designated for assignment Wednesday.
With three catchers (Salvador Perez, Meibrys Viloria and Cam Gallagher) already on the 40-man roster, the Royals opted to remove Dini in favor of protecting other players from the Rule 5 draft. He is likely to pass through waivers unclaimed and should continue to provide organizational catching depth.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Returns to action Saturday
Rotowire
Dini (shoulder) is starting at catcher and batting ninth Saturday against the Twins.
He missed a week with a right shoulder contusion but is healthy enough to get at least one more start before the end of the season. Dini hit .217 with one home run in 10 September games prior to the injury.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Picks up injury Sunday
Rotowire
Dini was diagnosed with a right shoulder contusion Sunday after he left the game early against the Twins, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Dini left Sunday's game against the Twins early after suffering a right shoulder contusion. While the injury is something through which a major-leaguer can play, it isn't worth it for Dini to stick it out as the Royals have nothing to play for and only have five games remaining for the season. Dini is the backup catcher and had only played 10 games in September through Sunday's contest. Meibrys Viloria figures to handle the catching duties for the club to close out the season.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Pops first career homer
Rotowire
Dini went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 5-4 win over the Orioles.
The rookie catcher went back-to-back with Nicky Lopez in the seventh inning, giving Dini not only his first big-league homer but his first RBI as well. He'll remain on the short side of a platoon with Meibrys Viloria for now, but Dini's meager playing time could dry up in September if Cam Gallagher (oblique) gets healthy.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Officially promoted
Rotowire
Dini had his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports. He's starting behind the dish and hitting eighth in his big-league debut against the Tigers.
As expected, Dini will join the Royals ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Tigers to provide catching depth while Cam Gallagher (side) is on the shelf. Prior to earning a promotion, the 26-year-old posted a .296/.370/.565 triple-slash with 13 home runs and seven steals in 58 games for the Storm Chasers.
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Royals' Nick Dini: Getting first big-league callup
Rotowire
The Royals plan to select Dini's contract from Triple-A Omaha ahead of Thursday's game against the Tigers, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
The 26-year-old will make the jump to the big leagues for the first time, providing reinforcement behind the dish for Kansas City with top backstop Cam Gallagher (side) considered day-to-day. Like several Triple-A hitters this season, Dini has displayed a major power spike, boosting his OPS from .693 in 2018 to .934 in 2019. He'll likely split time at catcher with Meibrys Viloria in the event Gallagher requires a stay on the injured list.
